Melody for Struggle
by dragonheart3
Summary: AU. Kanda has to deal with a druggie mother. Allen was an abused abandoned child. Lavi was thrown out and he's on a mission. Lenalee's parents were murdered. At the Dark Order Academy, everyone is messed up one way or another. Welcome to their world.
1. Enter KALL

**Title: **Melody for Struggle

**Rating: **T

**Pairings: **Yullen, Laven, Lenallen, Lavalee, etc. Maybe some others if I am in the mood. I'm going to test out some pairings.

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Friendship

**Summary: **AU. Kanda has to deal with a druggie mother, Allen was an abandoned abused child, Lavi's parents simply didn't care, and Lenalee's parents were murdered. Welcome to their world in the Dark Order Academy.

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I own nothing. Unless I can afford to buy the characters for Katsura Hoshino, then…no.

**Warning: **This story is probably going to be depressing. Beware though; I might tweak some of the character's personalities to make them a tad bit more depressing. But other than that, I'll do my best to keep them IC. I apologize in advance for grammar/spelling errors.

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

**Kanda:**

"Oi. I'm off."

Kanda peered back into the apartment room, a light scowl on his face. His mother was slumped against a wall, and slowly she slid down the wall until she was horizontal with the ground. Her long messy hair covered her lifeless gray eyes, and her body was sprawled out like a doll that was cast aside. Kanda scowled, and he clutched the tiny white container of pills in his hands as he slammed the door behind him.

"Worthless piece of shit." Kanda muttered under his breath. He threw his bag over his shoulder and headed out the run-down door of his apartment. He ignored the mother calling after her whiney ass child and the poor man painting outside the door. To him, they were all just a part of the scenery.

But the poor man did not see it this way at all. He pushed his glasses higher up his face and looked up from his painting. "First day of school, Yuu-kun?"

Kanda stopped in his tracks to look down at the old man. The man's scraggly gray hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he didn't look as though he had a care in the world.

"Who the fuck are you and how do you know my name?"

The man stared at Kanda dead in the eye. "General Tiedoll."

"You sure as hell don't look like a General."

"I am retired."

"You didn't answer my other question. How the fuck do you know my name?"

"I've been around a while, boy. I've seen things. I'm not as worthless as I look." Tiedoll looked down at his painting. He held it up for Kanda to see. It was a small delicate lotus floating gently in the water. It wasn't finished however.

Kanda didn't say anything. There was no question addressed, therefore there would be no answer.

Tiedoll didn't seem to mind the quietness at all. "I'll finish it before you get back from school. You can hang it on your wall if you wish."

"I don't want your painting." Kanda replied. He didn't really understand why he didn't just leave the poor man already. There was something calming yet infuriating with this man; something that Kanda could just not leave.

Tiedoll sighed. "Nobody appreciates good art anymore." He looked down at his painting sadly. Kanda wondered why the man did not just sell it to buy new clothes, or a meal to eat.

"What's that you got there?"

Kanda tensed immediately. His fingers clasped the container in response. His eyes narrowed and he said, "Nothing."

Tiedoll looked at him curiously. "Drugs." He said more to himself than to Kanda. Kanda flinched. "Mind your own fucking business old man. Get back to your stupid painting."

Tiedoll ignored him. "Don't get caught with them. I suggest you dispose of them immediately before anyone discovers you are in possession of it. People tend to jump to conclusions around here."

Kanda stared at him, curiosity licking behind his eyes. Why didn't the man arrest him? He probably could have gotten some good money for it. Did he want the drugs himself?

Kanda didn't have to wait long for an answer. "I am not interested in drugs. They ruin the beauty of life. They may feel pleasant or intriguing in the moment, but in the end, you only mess up yourself, and you are blinded from the joys in life. They cloud up your thoughts and you cannot think properly. I knew a young boy named Daisya who did drugs. Poor thing withered away." Tiedoll looked down sadly, lost in thought. He cleared his throat and said, "You should get going. You're going to be late on your first day."

Kanda stared at the old man. He could not seem to glare at Tiedoll properly. After a few seconds, Kanda turned on curtly. He was still surprised himself that he had a lengthy conversation with a complete stranger. He shook it off, and continued his journey in long brisk strides. He only stopped once at the bridge to chuck the white container as far as he could into the river. "Damn woman. Only focused on drugs. Only thing she is capable of doing is finding more." Kanda muttered.

When Kanda arrived at the Dark Order Academy, crowds parted as he made his way through. He glared at anyone who was brave, or stupid enough to stand in his way.

There was none.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Allen: **

He stood in front of a full length mirror as he finished buttoning his uniform. He sighed as he noticed his pale white hair had contrasted greatly against the dark black uniform. Allen held a strand of hair delicately in his hands, wondering what exactly had happened with his hair.

He turned away from the mirror and picked up his bag with his left hand, and slung it over his shoulder. He paused momentarily to stare at his hand. It was a mangled red; it looked like a wound that would never heal. It was still in the shape of a hand, and it worked properly, yet his parents abandoned him anyways. _What exactly went wrong with me? _ Allen wondered to himself. Everything about him just seemed…wrong. He had snow white hair, a deformed arm, and a strange scar on the left side of his face. _Am I so hideous that no one should look at me? Should I hide my face in shame? _

Although Allen sometimes felt this way, he knew that he wasn't completely unloved. There was Mana Walker, the man who had taken Allen under his wing immediately, and loved the boy for who he was, not what he looked like. Mana was always a sore spot for Allen, just thinking about his death made Allen's heart lurch. That day, when he sat on Mana's grave, he was broken, and he cried uncontrollably. He didn't even notice when a tall man with flowing red hair drag him away by the scruff.

It was later known that the man was Marian Cross. Allen sighed, and he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall as the memory flooded back before his eyes.

_"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Allen asked between his sobs. _

_"Not important. But you may call me General Cross." The man replied as he puffed his cigar. "I have a proposal for you. I'd like you to work for me. You will have to run my errands and do what I say. In return, I will give you a place to stay. What do you think?" _

_Allen stared at Cross with big watery orbs. What could he say? He was a boy with nowhere to go. He had no idea what other options he may have, so he responded with a broken, "Yes." _

_Cross blew out ringlets of smoke, "Excellent." _

Allen lifted his hand and covered his face with it. The memories buried deep within the subconscious always seemed to rise at the weirdest moments.

It didn't stop there. There was one night where Allen was twelve and he had delivered another pack of alcohol to a drunk Cross.

_Cross sat against a wall out on the balcony, puffing on a cigar. The night was particularly dark and the stars were unusually bright. When Allen stepped out on the balcony, he was instantly hit with the aroma of alcohol and smoke. "Drunk." Allen muttered to himself. _

"_Eh? You got something to say to me, idiot apprentice? You better have gotten some damn good wine." Cross growled. His words were slurred together, indicating he was drunker than usual. He slumped to the side a little. _

"_No. Here." Allen said as he handed a bottle to Cross. _

_Cross nodded and took a sip. "Ah." He sighed contentedly. _

_Allen stood on the balcony for a while longer, wondering whether it was an appropriate time to excuse himself. His thoughts were interrupted however, just as he was about to leave. _

"_Idiot apprentice, why the hell don't you ever smile?" _

_Allen looked over at Cross in surprise. "I do smile, shishou." _

_Cross scowled. "Any idiot can tell that your smile is a fake. You haven't smiled since Mana's death. You still haven't gotten over that yet?" _

_Allen flinched. He was hurt by the blunt tones of his master. He was trying to form a response until he heard the soft snore coming from General Cross. Allen sighed, and cleaned up the balcony. He stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him. He leaned against the door, and slid down, wondering why he never could form a true smile. _

Allen adjusted himself, and threw his bag over his shoulder. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He called "I'm leaving" as he walked out the door. The memory stayed with him for a while.

Mana, Allen decided, was the only person to bring a true smile to Allen's face. Although he didn't understand why Cross had taken him in that day, or even why or how Cross had found Allen, he didn't question it. He appreciated that fact and acknowledged that although he didn't love Cross like he loved Mana, Cross had still set him back on his feet and forced him back into the routine of life. Allen might have disliked Cross for this, but in the end, they both knew it was for the best.

Allen's walk to school was slow and tired. He tried to ignore the stares that were sent his way as he traveled down the streets. He decided to travel through the countryside to avoid contact with others.

As he crossed the bridge, he noticed a woman with long black hair standing at the riverbank. The woman was staring intensely in the water, as if she was looking for something. She was deathly pale, and he stance made her appear as if she was a ghost.

"Hello?" Allen called out. "Are you looking for something? Do you need help?"

The woman did not respond. Then without a warning, she dashed madly into the river and snatched something out of the water. She clutched the item closely to her chest as she wadded out of the water slowly. Allen looked at her bewilderedly. She did not look behind as she walked away. Allen noted that she was not wearing shoes.

Allen watched her go, wondering whether he should help the lady, or continue on his way to school. After a moment's hesitation, he continued down the beaten path to his school.

As he made his way to the school grounds, people bombarded him from all directions. Everybody was in a frenzy trying to get to their homeroom class on time.

Allen managed to enter the school in one piece, but that didn't mean he wasn't banged up already. Just as he rounded the corner, he crashed into someone, sending them both to the ground.

It was a tall boy with long black hair and cold hard eyes. Papers floated everywhere, and the crowd of people around them stopped; they seemed to be holding their breath.

Allen stared at the other male stunned. He closely resembled the woman he saw earlier today at the river. Perhaps they were related. Allen was about to form an apology when the boy cut him off.

"Fuck! Watch where the hell you're going, you damn moyashi!"

The boy rose to his feet briskly, picking up his scattered items in record time. "Use your fucking eyes you moron! You aren't the only one here dumb shit!"

And then, just as quickly as it happened, the boy left, and life resumed, leaving Allen on the ground confused.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Lavi: **

Lavi sat at the table in his apartment reading a book attentively. He had just begun to reach the climax of the story when Bookman cut him off.

"Lavi! You need to leave now! School starts in twenty minutes!"

Lavi looked up from his book and sighed. He stuck a bookmark on the page and closed the book with a soft thud. "Yeah, yeah I know Panda-jiji."

Just then, a book came zipping through the air and hit Lavi smack in the back of the head. "Oof!" Lavi said as his head slammed into table.

"You're going to be late!"

Lavi peeled his face off the table and muttered, "Yeah, yeah." He stood up, walked to the door, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "See you later, Pan—"

Lavi quickly ducked as a book zipped in the air over his head. It hit the wall with a loud smack. Lavi looked at it and laughed. "Looks like you're getting old, Pand—oof!"

Bookman appeared out of nowhere and landed a solid kick to Lavi's gut. Bookman stepped off and said, "Learn many things today, idiot." There was a footprint on Lavi's uniform.

Lavi grunted and stood up, almost doubling over. "Yeah." He managed to croak. "Later." Lavi said as he waved Bookman on his way out weakly.

After a few painful strides, Lavi recovered. He sucked in a breath to make sure he was fine. Good. It wouldn't be right to be limping around the neighborhood. People would think he was a hoodlum, when he was not. He was quite the opposite. He was a scholar.

Lavi pulled his arms back behind his head in a relaxed manner. He quickly reviewed why he was doing this at all. The memory replayed in his head perfectly.

_Bookman stood bfore Lavi, who was sitting at the table reading 'How to Kill a Mockingbird'. _

"_Lavi." _

_Lavi looked up from his book. "Yes?" He responded. He put the book down immediately. He sense that this situation was more serious. _

"_Your home schooling shall be put on hiatus. Currently I was asked to write a book based on the school nearby, the Dark Order Academy. You do know what the school is for, right?" _

_Lavi shook his head. _

"_It's a school for delinquents. Misfits. Druggies. Basically, a place for messed up kids who will probably go nowhere in life. I can't give details on why I have to write the book, but I need information. You will enroll to this school and report back what happens everyday. Everybody you see, everybody you meet, people who act suspicious or not at all, you will report back to me. Teachers included. Understand?" _

_Lavi nodded. Bookman probably had to write a book on the school because the police were suspicious of the school. Recently, there have been many murders, and there were some leads that teenagers from the Dark Order Academy had performed the murders. _

_Bookman went on. "But there is one rule, Lavi. You must not get close to anyone attending the school. You trust no one. Any relationships that are formed will only get in the way. Someone you know today could be a murderer tomorrow. This is only a mission for you. We need the information. Once we get it, I'll remove you from the school immediately. Remember, you are not here to make friends. The only use you will have of 'friends' is to get information."_

_Lavi nodded. "Understood." _

"_Good. Do not fail." _

Lavi sighed, and he ran a hand through his messy red hair. This school business was a pain, but he could do it. If Bookman required it, then Lavi would attend to it. This was all because his parents threw him out, many years ago. Lavi's parents never cared much for him anyways, so when Lavi made the threat that he was going to leave, they threw him out. Luckily, Panda-jiji had come to his rescue and had taken him in. Lavi had little time to be lost between.

The school was everything you'd expect to be. Kids were everywhere, papers were scattered, and there was the classic paper airplane flying around. Lavi caught it and threw it back into the air, grinning. So far, school was enjoyable.

Suddenly, the busy aura in atmosphere changed. It grew cold, and the hallway grew silent, and everybody stopped moving. They were crowding around something.

Taking this opportunity, Lavi pushed his way to the front, excitement growing with every step. He wasn't in school for half an hour before something happens.

"Fuck!" A voice echoes through the hallway. "Watch where the hell you're going, you damn moyashi!"

_Moyashi, hm. _Lavi thought to himself as he finally makes his way to the front. _This guy is Japanese. _

There was an angry boy with long black chopped hair sitting on the floor across from a baffled confused white haired boy.

The chopped hair boy rose to his feet briskly, picking up his scattered items in record time. "Use your fucking eyes you moron! You aren't the only one here dumb shit!" And with that, the chopped hair boy left, and life resumed, leaving the white haired boy on the floor.

_This guy looks too innocent to be worth anything. _Lavi thought to himself. But Bookman's words floated in his head. _, "…people who act suspicious or not at all, you will report back to me." _Lavi shrugged. Opportunities didn't knock twice. He stood over the boy and held out his hand. The boy looked up at him surprised. He took Lavi's hand and pulled himself up.

"Thank you." The boy said.

"What's your name?" Lavi asked.

"Allen Walker. What's your name?"

Lavi smirked and closed his eyes momentarily, as his bangs covered his eyes. When he looked up and opened his eyes he said, "Lavi. Lavi Bookman."

_Chapter One: Allen Walker. _Lavi chuckled softly to himself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Lenalee: **

Lenalee sat up in her bed, looking out the window. She stomach was in knots. She was anxious about the day that was about to unfold. Slowly, she swung her legs out of the bed and began to undress, slowly changing into her uniform. She wore a black mini skirt with a white shirt and a black tie. It had a black sweater to go along with it. She pulled up her black thigh socks and slipped on her shoes.

She walked into the kitchen and began making coffee. "Nii-san!" She called. "Are you up?" As she waited for a reply she twisted her hair up into two neat ponytails. "Nii-san?"

Her brother Komui walked into the kitchen slowly, rubbing his eye before placing his glasses on. "I'm awake." He said in a soft voice. Lenalee smiled. "Coffee?" She offered.

"Yes, thank you." Komui held up his bunny coffee cup and Lenalee poured in the black coffee into it. Komui took a sip. "Ah. Are you reading for today?" He asked.

Lenalee placed the coffee down. "Nervous, really." She said without looking at him.

Komui grimaced. "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this, didn't I?"

Lenalee spun around. "No, no." She said hastily. "I don't want you to go to this school alone." She shifted uncomfortably. "I don't feel comfortable about this school though. I don't understand why you picked this one, especially after…" She trailed off, and fiddled with her tie.

Komui sighed. "I know this is not the best school around. It's the worst in fact. But that's why I picked it. Everybody is afraid of this school, but I know there are good people here. And I'm going to do my best to educate these children, good or bad. Maybe some of them will come around and realize there is more to life, and begin living in the light." Komui paused. "And if we find the murderers, bonus. The world will be a better place."

Lenalee stared at the linoleum floor, feeling truly uneasy. It was quiet for a few moments, and Komui broke the silence. "We better get going. This will be the only day we can walk together to school. For the rest of the year, I'll have to get up earlier to get to the school." Lenalee looked up in alarm.

"Don't worry." Komui comforted. "You'll make friends. Besides, you already know Johnny." Lenalee nodded. Komui glanced at the clock. "Oh! We have to leave now or I'll be late meeting Reever at the school. Let's go."

_Later at the school…_

Lenalee watched with sad nervous eyes as her brother gave her a wave and half sprinted down to the office where all the teachers were meeting. Slowly, she uprooted herself from the spot and began walking down the hallway. There were so many kids; the hallway was noisy. Everywhere she looked, people were in pairs. For a moment she felt as though she would faint from a sudden wave of claustrophobia. There was nothing worse than being in a crowded place with nobody you know. Alone.

Lenalee ducked twice, for a paper airplane had almost hit her. People kept moving in different directions, she was getting a headache. Then suddenly, everybody stopped moving and turned to look at a spot at the end of the hallway. She stood on her tiptoes and craned her head to see what everybody was looking at. She gave a small shriek as a redhead pushed his way through the crowd, almost knocking her off her feet.

Suddenly, a set of words echoed down the hallway.

"Fuck! Watch where the hell you're going, you damn moyashi!"

Lenalee, growing aggravated with the _mob _of kids, began to push her way to the front. When she reaches the front, she sees two boys on the floor. One looks absolutely angry, and the other looked utterly lost.

Lenalee immediately empathized with the latter. _Maybe, _Lenalee thought, _we could stick together. _

"Use your fucking eyes you moron! You aren't the only one here dumb shit!"

Lenalee winced. That must suck. Being yelled at on the first day of school by someone other than a teacher. In front of a crowd of uncaring eyes. Lenalee shuddered at the thought.

Then suddenly, the crowd is moving again, and she is dragged away from the boy. _Wait!_ She panicked. _Maybe I could be friends with the boy! _But there was no use fighting it. The crowd of kids were traveling in different directions, and poor Lenalee was soon lost in the midst of it.

**Phew! This took a while to write, but I think that I am completely satisfied with it. At first I had a plan on what was going to happen, but then it was soon ignored, and the story unfolded itself. I think it turned out rather well. **

**I am actually looking forward to writing this story. Although I have no idea where this story is going to go, I still want to continue! **

**WAIT! For those of you who just add stories to favorites or story alert, could you please kindly leave a review? Constructive criticism or any other type of review (besides flames) is always welcome! Please review! **

**Hm, would it be rude of me to ask for 5 reviews? **


	2. Fighting Tears

**Chapter 2. **

**Ugh. I suck at transitions. I've got a ton of ideas for this story but this chapter may be crappy just cause I need to attach all the characters to each other. Please bear with me! **

**Warning: Please excuse the past/present tense grammar. I really suck at that. I think I made Kanda a real asshole in this chapter. I'll try to tone it down later. **

**Oh and I'm not really a Lavi/Lenalee fan, so I'm sorry if my attempt fails. **** I also have no idea how I'm going to do time. **

**Allen:**

_One week later…_

School was a pain in the ass.

Well, it wasn't completely unbearable. The average workload wasn't too bad; it was adjusting to the school and others that was rather hard. Allen didn't have much experience with others; therefore fitting in wasn't easy. Being polite didn't always work, because people would just stare at him like he was crazy. Lavi wasn't in all his classes, so most of the time Allen was alone. But that was okay, he could deal with it. It wasn't anything new.

Allen was busy staring on the board tediously. He stopped taking notes because he knew everything already. His chin rested in his hand lazily and his eyes were drooping, before the teacher snapped him back awake.

"Mr. Allen Walker-kun?"

Allen jolted awake in his seat. He glanced at the board, scanning for any questions that he may have missed. "Yes, Komui-sensei?"

"Please go the office and ask for the new textbooks. It may take a while…ah. Kanda Yu, go with him."

Allen looked over to the far right end of the classroom. Allen realized with cold horror that Kanda Yu was the boy with the long dark hair that he crashed into a week ago. Kanda scowled and exited the room swiftly after recognizing Allen. Allen followed him, almost hesitantly.

The walk to the office was silent. The office was a separate building from the school. Kanda knew exactly where he was going, so Allen just followed him in silence. At first Allen wanted to engage in conversation, but then he decided against it, assuming that Kanda was still angry at him.

The staff in the office greeted them warmly. "Here for the textbooks?" A tall man named Reever said. Allen nodded. Reever led them to a room and said, "Here. It may take a few trips, but this is it. For now."

Kanda glared at the pile of boxes and picked two up easily. "So there's six boxes, and if we each carry two, then we can do this in two trips." Allen calculated out loud. Kanda responded by walking away.

"No shit, moron."

"Wait!" Allen called. He hastily picked up two boxes and ran after Kanda. The boxes towered over Allen, and as he ran he slipped and crashed into Kanda, sending them crashing onto the floor, books scattered everywhere.

Kanda stared at the pitiful sight around them, all expression cleared off his face except for shock, and for one moment of insanity, Allen thought Kanda wouldn't say anything, maybe even forgive him.

But that only lasted a moment.

"YOU. FUCKING. IDIOT! YOU CAN'T CARRY SHIT YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A HUMAN! YOU ARE AS DAMN SMALL AS A FUCKING MOYASHI!" Kanda roared. "THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU DUMB SHIT!"

Allen winced. Luckily there weren't in the hallway, otherwise everybody could hear them.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Allen bristled. "Wrong with me?!" He yelled. "Wrong with ME?! WHO'S THE ONE SHOUTING YOU ASSHOLE! YOU SET OFF AT EVERY LITTLE THING! And you're asking what's wrong with me?!"

"Of course there's something wrong with you, you idiot! Anyone with eyes can see that! Who the fuck has white hair, except for old men?!"

"Like you could do any better, you girly man!"

Kanda lunged for Allen's neck, trying to get a good grip to strangle the boy. Allen avoided Kanda's hands like the plague, and used his feet to kick the tall boy off him. They wrestled for a while, before one of the teachers found them.

Allen recognized the teacher as Tyki Mikk, who was followed closely behind by a girl whom he recalled as Rhode. He didn't pay attention long, because he was trying to get some good last kicks on Kanda's face. But Tyki Mikk's firm hands grasped both of their collars and threw them in opposite directions.

Allen gasped as he landed on the ground hard on his back. He struggled to get up to see Tyki Mikk running after Kanda to pin him down. Kanda resisted for a moment, then stopped immediately. The girl, Rhode, appeared next to Allen and pushed his shoulders to the floor with her hands. Her gold eyes pierced Allen and she said, "Stop."

Allen was breathing too heavily to realize that Rhode was looking him over with curiosity and amusement in her eyes. Once Allen's breathing flowed into a natural pattern again, Rhode said, "Are you ready to get up?"

Allen nodded weakly, but fiercely. Rhode smiled, and something lit up in the back of her eyes. "Are you going to fight Kanda again?" She crooned softly. Allen paused, then shook his head.

"Good." Rhode said as she helped Allen to his feet. She gazed at his face, looking for traces of violent anger. She huffed silently, disappointed to find none. Allen didn't notice any of this, for he was too busy glaring at Kanda.

Kanda meanwhile, had been pinned to the ground by Tyki Mikk. He tried to resist at first, but his attempts were in vain, so he quickly stopped. Tyki sensed this, and released his grip on Kanda. Kanda stood up and jerked away from Tyki, and he turned away to compose himself. Tyki sighed.

"Rhode." Tyki called. "Take Allen to the office to sign out. He's suspended for the rest of the day. Once Allen leaves, I'll take Kanda to sign out next." Rhode nodded, and held Allen by the arm to drag him away. Tyki's eyebrows raised at this. But he turned back to Kanda, tensing, in case Kanda would try to run. He didn't however, so Tyki relaxed. Rhode gave him the signal, and he had Kanda sign out also.

As Tyki and Rhode watched them leave, Tyki said, "What's up with you?"

Rhode smiled mischievously at Tyki. "Huh?" She said, pretending to be innocent.

Tyki rolled his eyes. "You were clinging to Allen Walker like a lover. Is there something I should know about?"

Rhode giggled softly, and it slowly erupted into a full out laugh. "You should have seen the look in Allen's eyes! I have never seen so much hate in anybody before. I could practically see his soul in his eyes!"

Tyki lit a cigarette. "Is that so? So I take it you like him now?"

"Well," Rhode said smiling. "I found a new toy today, and this one seems sturdier, yet fragile. I find him very amusing, and I plan to play with him in the future. So I guess that's a yes." She gave a big smile to Tyki, causing his heart to melt. He was silent before saying,

"Don't break him too quickly."

Rhode nodded and laughed maniacally.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Lavi:**

The school bell rang, and classes burst out of their classrooms. As Lavi stepped outside, he shielded his eyes from the light. The sky was overcast, but it was still bright outside. He looked around. "Huh? Where's Allen?" He pondered aloud.

Wondering if his friend was still caught in the crowd, Lavi took a seat next to the willow tree. He watched the crowd part silently, checking his watch every few minutes. Lavi sighed, deciding that it was long enough. He was about to leave when he saw a girl sitting on a bench with her face in her hands.

_Huh? _Lavi thought to himself. He strode over to the girl and bent over to see her face. She didn't look up.

"Oi. Are you okay?" Lavi asked, waving his hand in front of her face. She looked up from her hands, tears streaming down her pretty face. Lavi's heart skipped a beat.

The girl sniffed, and wiped her face with her sleeves. "Yes." She said in a soft voice. She avoided his gaze by staring at the floor miserably. She sniffed, as more tears welled up in her eyes.

Lavi took a seat next to her on the bench, and tried to look at her face. His face looked worried and concerned, yet his thoughts were elsewhere. _Why was she crying? This is suspicious. I'll need more information, in case this has anything to do with the murders. _

"What's wrong?" He asked kindly. His expression formed the perfect concerned looked.

The girl looked at him. Her eyes were red, but she still looked pretty nonetheless. She seemed to be debating whether to tell Lavi or not, but in the end she broke. "Some girls…I thought they were my friends, but…I heard them say some things…about me and my brother."

Lavi raised his eyebrows. He wanted to ask her what 'they' said, but that would be pushing it, and the girl would get suspicious. "Your brother?" He inquired.

The girl nodded. "His name is Komui Lee. He's a teacher who works here."

"Oh." Lavi said. "Yeah I have him for some classes."

The girl nodded. She didn't continue the conversation, so Lavi didn't push it. He'd probably find out eventually.

"So what's your name? I'm Lavi Bookman." He said as he stood up. He held out his hand for her.

"Lenalee Lee." She replied. She grasped Lavi's hand and pulled herself up. She smiled at him warmly. He grinned back.

"So," Lavi said awkwardly as he put his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner. "Would you like to get some hot chocolate at the shop down the road with me?"

Lenalee smiled at him. "I'd like that."

**Wow, this chapter was hard. Making Kanda such an ass is just going to make me work harder later for Yullen. Ughh. Dreading it already. But I love this story! One of my best, because it has an actual storyline with multiple chapters. **

**Writing Lavi/Lenalee was surprisingly easy for me, especially since I don't really support this pairing. I hope it didn't suck. "-.-**

**I'd love it if you'd review. 3 **

**5+ reviews will increase the faster update! ;) **


	3. Soft Hands, Hard Eyes

**Chapter 3**

**Wow. I think I thought this out too much. My brain just kinda fried…and I lost a little interest. =.=**

**Warning: This chapter may seem a little slow. Stick with me! I've decided I'm gonna forget time. It takes too long to think out, so whatever. **

**I've noticed I don't have a disclaimer….oh well. **

**I really really really want to go to an anime convention!!! DX**

**Lavi:**

Lavi half dragged Lenalee to the coffee shop. The sky was getting dark, and it was looking like it was going to rain. As they burst through the doors a little bell alerted their presence. Lenalee held onto the wall, panting heavily.

"You…run…fast." She managed to say between breaths. Her face was flushed slightly, and her eyes were watering from the wind.

Lavi laughed. He was bending over, supporting himself on his knees. "It looked like it was going to rain, and the change in weather was so sudden. Last week it was sunny, this week it's overcast. Didn't you feel the cold air?" He asked, grinning.

Lenalee nodded. Her breathing returned to normal and she said, "You should have warned me."

Lavi grinned. "Sorry."

They straightened up and glanced around the coffee shop. A head of white hair locked Lavi's attention. "Allen!" He called happily and waved. Allen waved back, a look of amusement on his face.

Lavi held Lenalee's hand as they walked over to the booth Allen was sitting at. Allen busy studying the menu intensely, a hand over his mouth, his eyebrows knit together, concentrating on the menu, as if an answer would appear to him.

Lavi and Lenalee sat across from him. "So Allen, where were you after school today? I didn't see you exit, and you're kinda hard to miss."

Allen cracked a smile and touched his hair unconsciously. "You got me there."

Lavi grinned. "So where were you?"

Allen sighed. "I was suspended for the rest of the day. Stupid, seeing as there was only two hours left of school."

Lavi leaned in, excitement and shock written all over his face. "Really? Why?"

"That idiot, Yu Kanda guy. Don't ask."

"Aw, come on, Allen."

"Maybe later." Allen said, waving the topic away. "Anyways, you didn't introduce me to your friend."

"Ah. Yes, this is Lenalee Lee. I met her after school today. Her brother is a teacher. Komui Lee." Lavi said as he gestured from Lenalee to Allen.

"Oh! Yes, I have him for some classes. Nice to meet you." Allen said politely. He smiled warmly towards Lenalee, and she gave him a small sweet smile back. Allen frowned, then said, "Hey, do you have any idea what a moyashi is, Lavi?"

Lavi scratched the back of his head. "Ah…" Damn. He needs to brush up on his Japanese knowledge. "It's Japanese…"

Lenalee spoke up. "It means beansprout."

Allen twitched, which raised two curious faces.

"Did…Kanda call you a moyashi?" Lenalee said slowly.

Allen sighed. "Bastard." He muttered to himself. Lenalee and Lavi took this as a confirmation.

"So," Lavi said as he took the menu from Allen. "What are you gonna order?" Lavi said, changing the subject to lighter terms.

"I've got a few ideas in mind. I'm gonna go order, so I'll be back." Allen said as he got up from the table and stood in line to order.

**Lou Fa: **

Lou fa stood behind the register, taking people's order. It was a tedious job, taking people's orders. You stood around the same spot, waiting for a customer, all day long.

"Will that be all for you, sir?" She asked to a customer. She pushed her glasses up her face.

The man nodded. She turned around and called to Shifu and Rikei, "One salami sandwich!" The two boys nodded, and gave her the order. **((AN: Shifu and Rikei are the two other science department guys in the Asian Branch. They are often seen with Lou Fa))**

"Here you go!" Lou Fa said as she handed the man the tray of food. The man gave a slight nod, and left to take a seat.

The next customer stepped up.

"Hello, may I take your—" Lou Fa started. As she looked up, she saw a boy with white hair and a funny scar over his left eye. He had a light expression on his face, and he was wearing his school uniform, from the Dark Order Academy, the school for delinquents. He was about her age.

And he was gorgeous.

Lou Fa's words caught in her throat and her face heated up. The boy stepped up to the counter, still looking at the menu. She stared at him in awe, never wanting the moment to end.

But it did.

"Hello?" The boy asked, snapping her from her little world.

"Ah! Yes! May I take your order!" Lou Fa said in a rush. She looked down at the register, feeling like an idiot.

The boy smiled at her. "Yes. I'd like to have three roast beef sandwiches, two chicken wraps, and a soda please."

Lou Fa stared at him. Could he really be eating that much?! Well, maybe he was taking it home or something. Who cares really? He was gorgeous. His face was lovely, and his chest looked strong, and…

"Ah! Yes!" Lou Fa said, managing to snap herself out of it. She was about to call it out to Shifu and Rikei, but they already handed her the order, looking at her funny.

"Hey, you okay?" Rikei whispered. "Do you want me to take this?"

Lou Fa shook her head, trying to hide her blush. "No!" She said a little fast. Rikei looked surprised. "I'm f-fine." She covered up.

She took the tray from Shifu, and turned around to the counter slowly. It was heavier than the average tray. "Here you go." She said, grunting softly.

The boy smiled. "Thank you." He pulled out his wallet, and gave her the money.

Everything felt like slow motion.

His left hand extended out to drop the money in her hands. Lou Fa looked at it in a daze, noticing how it was red, and red was the color of love and—

Wait.

It was red.

A mangled bloody red.

His hand brushed hers slightly, and she couldn't help but give a small shriek. She jerked her hand back quickly and cuddled it. The boy and Lou Fa locked eyes for a few moments, and Lou Fa apologized. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Allen looked down, and held his left hand in his right. He had a soft expression in his eyes, almost like anguish and sadness. Lou Fa's heart broke immediately.

"It's okay." He said softly. "I get that reaction a lot." This time Lou Fa could see genuine sadness in the boy's eyes.

"I…" Lou Fa started, then looked down, at a loss for words. "Would you like another sandwich for free?" She said.

The boy seemed to brighten at this, but not much. At least the agony was seemed to vanish, or at least conceal itself. Lou Fa suddenly felt very weak, and she wanted to kneel on the ground and cry.

"That sounds…nice. Thank you." The boy said as he smiled. The sadness was still apparent on his face, but the smile seemed to lessen it.

As Lou Fa handed him the sandwich, she blurted out "What's your name?" She noticed that the boy was careful not to brush their hands together.

"Allen. Allen Walker." He said as he walked away, smiling softly.

She could still feel the sadness wavering off of him as he walked away.

**Kanda: **

Kanda strode down the sidewalk of his apartment. The poor man, Tiedoll, seemed surprised to see him so early. He looked up from his painting.

"Ah? You're early today, Yuu-kun."

Kanda strode past him. "I don't have time or any fucking patience to chat idly." He barked from behind him.

Tiedoll watched him go confusedly, but dismissed it. He would get no answers by prodding.

**Earlier that day, Cross Marian:**

Cross lay sprawled across the couch of his apartment, rubbing him templates to endure his current hangover. He desperately wanted some food to eat, but his idiot apprentice was off to school again, so it looked liked if he wanted anything to eat now, he'd have to do it himself.

"Damn it all." He muttered as he got up, waving away the dizziness he felt as he stood up.

He stepped across the bottles that lay scattered across the floor, and grabbed his hat from the coat rack. He left his room, closing the door behind him, but not bothering to lock it, because there was nothing of value in the room anyways. And if anything happened, he'd make his idiot apprentice deal with it.

He exited the apartment, and looked around, as if he was hiding from something. That Tiedoll idiot was elsewhere, so the coast was clear. He didn't feel like putting up with Tiedoll lecturing him on "showing more affection towards his student". Cross always brushed it off, ignoring the spew of garbage that exited that man's mouth. But he felt that if he had to listen to it right now, he'd kill him. Of course it wouldn't be an easy battle, but it was the little things that caused Cross to snap.

He walked down the road to his favorite restaurant. It was a fancy one of course, the only one worth anything, in his taste. Two boys loitered in the center of the sidewalk, doing God knows what. They were in the way, so Cross shoved them out.

"Ah! Hey idiot, you dare mess with us?!" One of the boys called behind him. He had dark black hair, and black eyeliner. What a clown.

Cross turned to look at them, a glare easy its way onto his face.

"Yeah! You're in for a lot of trouble now! Hee!" The other boy, with long flowing blonde hair called out. He had some weird ass eyeliner on, too.

"I don't have time for two troublesome idiots who decide to skip delinquent school." Cross replied coolly. He turned back around and continued walking briskly. He heard footsteps from behind him, and a voice called, "You're not going anywhere, old man! You messed with us! Now you have to pay the consequences!"

He lifted his right hand behind his head and flipped them off, not losing pace at all. He heard a gasp.

The two idiots continued to follow Cross all the way to the restaurant. He paid them no mind. He entered the restaurant with a high level of authority, and the staff seated him immediately. The two idiots had a little trouble, but they managed to take a table nearby Cross, shooting him daggers. He looked at the menu, pointedly ignoring them.

He ate to his content and took his time. He had no rush. He even ordered a bottle of wine, downing it all by himself.

By the time he was done, the waiter handed him the bill, and Cross was ready. He scribbled something quickly on the paper, and talked with the waiter. He used many hand gestures, and the waiter nodded every few minutes. Cross gave a curt nod, and left the restaurant.

**The Two idiots (Debitto and Jasdero): **

They hid behind their menus, watching Cross intently, occasionally whispering to each other, "what do you think he's doing?" only to get the reply, "I don't know".

"Debitto, this is taking a long time." The boy whined.

"I know. Hold on Jasdero, I think he's almost done. Then we can get him outside." Debitto replied form behind the menu. They watched as Cross chatted with the waiter, and then got up and left.

"Now!" Debitto half whispered.

They didn't get two feet from the table before the waiter pulled them back from the collars.

"What the hell do you want, asshole?!" Debitto yelled. Jasdero rubbed his neck from being choked by his shirt.

The waiter scoffed. "The red haired man who just left said that you two are paying for his bill." He dragged them to the back of the restaurant and threw them into the kitchen. They landed with a hard thud on the floor. Two aprons were thrust to their faces. "Get to work!" The waiter yelled before leaving.

Devitto and Jasdero blinked.

"WE'RE GONNA KILL HIM!"

---

Somewhere outside the restaurant, Cross laughed.

**Another chapter done, and out of the way. Bwahah, I opened up some plot here! I swear, I plan out a chapter, then it ends up being completely different. Oh well, as long as it works. **

**Omg! Thank you so much for the reviews!! I got a few more than I asked for!! :wipes tears of joy away: **

"**Please, sir, could I have some more?" ~Oliver Twist**

**Pleeease???? Review Review review!!! **


	4. Not a Good Day

**Chapter 4**

**Oh my, it's been quite a while, hasn't it, dear friends? :grins:**

**Sorry, still in my "Mad Hatter" mood. Roleplays FTW!!!!! XD**

**Anyways, this chapter is going to be a mess, but we'll see how it goes. Another transition, :sigh:. **

**READ! IMPORTANT!! **

**NEXT CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN YULLEN! **

**But I have to apologize, if you guys feel that Allen and Kanda have become too close too fast, then I'm sorry. I just don't want to type out meaningless chapters that will bore you all and loose interest. :gasps: **

**Anyways, on with the show. **

**An early Christmas present to my reviewers! :D**

**Allen: **

A few weeks later…

Today was not a good day. Kanda has been pointedly ignoring Allen, and Allen has made sure to stay away from Kanda within, at least, a 10-foot radius.

But of course, like all things in life, anything can change in any amount of time.

Even a minute.

"Class! Settle down, settle down now." Komui said as he burst through the doors of the classroom. He slammed down the stack of papers he was carrying onto the desk, and he had an evil glint in his eyes, enough to cause the class to shudder.

It was silent for a moment, and then Komui leaped and threw him arms in the air. "Project!"

The class's heads fell like rocks onto their desks. They groaned, and a heavy aura labeled "Doom" floated about them.

"Hey, come now, come now, it will be exciting!" Komui said, raising his index finger in the air. "Each of you will have partners, and the project is to learn more about your partner. See? It's not so bad, it's just bonding with your fellow classmates."

Lavi raised his hand. "Sensei? How long is this project?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whenever I feel like it." Komui said, checking his nails casually.

The class roared, "WHAT?!" Someone in the back yelled, "You suck!" He was immediately acknowledged with a book to the face.

"I will now assign you your partners," Komui announced. He pulled how a top hat, (one that suspiciously looked a lot like Tyki's) and stuck his hand into it.

"Yuki! Kyo!"

Allen, meanwhile was sitting to the far left of the classroom, next to the window. He sat casually, with his head resting in his hands, gazing out the window. Lenalee sat behind him, and she poked Allen with a pencil lightly into his back. Allen turned around. "Yes?"

"Arisa! Kamaki!"

Lenalee shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "I…I'm really sorry Komui assigned this….project."

Allen smiled. "It's okay. He's the teacher. I'm not complaining."

"Taiga! Ami!"

Lenalee looked down. "I know but…"

Lavi, sitting to Allen's right, leaned in. "Allen's right, Lenalee. It's not your fault anyways."

Lenalee frowned. "I know, but I should have told him better."

"Lavi! Chouji!"

Lavi bristled at the call of his name. He looked to the far right of the classroom, two seats down, one row up, where Chouji sat. Chouji was busying himself with a rather large sandwich. He caught Lavi's eye and waved, grinning, with food in his mouth. Lavi slowly looked away, shuddering. Lenalee looked in horror, and Allen cracked a smile, and laughed outright.

"C'mon, Lavi, it's not _that_ bad…" Allen said, once he finished laughing. His laugh was so contagious even Lenalee cracked a smile.

Lavi glared at Allen, and Allen just grinned back. "Because being with a fatass isn't _that_ bad. If I don't show up to school one day, it's because he _ate me. _And it'll be all your fault, Allen."

"Yeah, well, I don't see how it would be my fault…" Allen trailed off, and the trio casted a glance at Chouji again. Chouji's sandwich was gone, nothing but a wrapper on the floor. He was busy opening his desk, while pulling out a milkshake.

"He has a whole, damn fridge in there!" Lavi muttered. At this point, there was nothing left to say.

"Lenalee! Rhode!"

Lenalee looked up, then around. Rhode was two seats down from Lavi. She gave a smile that would have looked nice on anyone else. It just didn't look right on her face, with her eyes narrowed, almost cat-like. Lenalee gave a small smile, and a wave back.

"At least you got a _chick." _Lavi said, slumping in his chair.

"Lavi, you do realize that it's meant to be that way? Girls with girls, and guys with guys." Allen said, head resting in his hands, looking bored.

"Well then why the hell did I get paired up with a beast?" Lavi muttered.

Allen sighed, hearing enough of Lavi's whining.

"Allen! Kanda!"

Allen tensed, eyes wide.

The room suddenly felt very, very cold.

Nobody seemed to pay attention to this, however. Allen and Kanda were old news. Slowly, Allen's, Lavi's, and Lenalee's eyes wandered to the back of the classroom in the far corner to the right, where Kanda sat.

He was sitting back in his seat, arms folded across his chest, eyes wide in shock. Eventually. His eyes met Allen's, who was staring back in shock too. Kanda looked away, an angry expression on his face (nothing new, of course), and although you couldn't hear it, it was obvious he said, "Che."

Allen sat still as a stone in his seat, unable to move from the shock. Lavi and Lenalee sweatdropped.

"You know, Kanda and I were childhood friends. He's really not that bad of a person…" Lenalee started.

Allen didn't respond.

"Unlucky…" Lavi muttered. Lenalee sighed, holding her head in her hands.

Life might as well have ended. For Allen, anyways.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The bell rang, and school was over. Allen walked out with Lenalee, still numb from shock. Lavi was busy helping Miranda, the librarian, order books.

The walk home was silent. Lenalee, unsure what to do for her dear friend, decided to just let the shock wear out on its own. However, she did hold his hand the whole way back, trying to rub some feeling back into it. It was comforting, but not enough to fully pull Allen back to Earth. Eventually, Lenalee had to leave to go back to her apartment.

Allen made his way up to his

apartment, unlocking the door, and stepping in numbly.

"Oi, idiot apprentice, I need some more wine. Get it for me. Now." Cross called from the couch.

Allen walked to the kitchen table numbly, his bag falling off his shoulders.

"Hey, baka!"

No response.

Cross walked up to Allen and raised his hand in the air, irritatedly. Allen realized too late.

SMACK!

Thump! Thud!

Allen layed on the floor, with his cheek swollen. "That….hurt!" He said angrily.

"The conversation won't get anywhere, if you just lie there." Cross replied coolly, with a dark aura surrounding him. **(Yay reference! Ch. 167 pg 4)**

"Well, what the hell do you want?!" Allen yelled, as he got back to his feet.

Cross shoved an empty bottle of wine in Allen's face. "Get some. _Now." _

Allen stumbled back, removing his face from the bottle. He snatched it from Cross's hands, and turned to the door. "I'll be back." He replied, in a somewhat darker tone. He closed the door behind him with an angry click.

When Allen was gone, Cross allowed himself to smile, and even chuckle. He puffed from the cigar, and blew out rings of smoke.

"He's gotten so cheeky. I guess it hasn't been all bad for him here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Allen stormed out of the apartment angrily. Today was not a good day, he told himself. He made his way through the countryside yet again. As he passed by the school he saw a familiar redhead walking out of the double doors.

"Allen?" Lavi called. "Whatcha doin here?" He asked. "And why do you look like you want to murder somebody?" He added, with a slight smile in his tone. Lavi ignored the fact that he felt as if butterflies were in his stomach.

Allen looked up, smiling as Lavi jogged towards him. "My master is making me buy wine for him again, and I have exactly no money." He pointed to his cheek. "He also slapped me too."

Lavi grinned, noticing that Allen's check was indeed, a pinkish red. "Sounds abusive." He noted. "So how are you gonna pay for the wine?"

Allen shrugged, although he had a few ideas in mind. "Wanna come?"

"Hell yes! This sure beats going home to Panda-jiji and studying."

Allen smiled. As they made their way through the town, Allen said, "Okay so the store is just beyond the train tracks."

"Will they even allow you to buy wine? You are a minor."

"If you can pay for it, then they'll let you buy it."

As Allen and Lavi stepped over the train tracks, they distinctly heard a sneeze.

"Did you hear that?" Lavi asked.

Allen nodded. "I wonder if it's another poor man. I hope he's not sick. It's rather cold, at this time of year."

"Let's check it out." Lavi said, dragging Allen towards the empty cable car. Allen slid the heavy wooden door to the left. The big cable car shifted slightly.

"Krory!" Lavi and Allen shouted in unison. Krory sat across from three men, wearing dirty ragged coal mining uniforms. They were playing cards. Deep down, Allen smiled to himself. This was perfect.

Krory turned around and sniffed. He was the school janitor at the Dark Order Academy.

"Oi! Shut the door, it's c--!" The man in glasses trailed off as the two boys came into focus.

"Eh?" The man said. He grinned and chewed on the end of his cigarette. "Sorry, this area is currently off-limits to young boys." He looked back to Krory. "So how about it? Let's play one more round."

Krory stuttered, blinking away tears. "N-no….but…that…."

Allen kneeled down next to Krory. "What are you doing, Krory?"

Krory looked at Allen shamefully. "These men invited me to play a game. And before I knew it, I ended up like this." He held his hands up, as if to say, _I didn't know. _He sneezed, and Allen flinched.

Allen stood up and looked away, smiling without feeling. _You got hustled. _

The man with a brown bob on the right said, "Hey, hey, don't run away."

The man with glasses leaned in. _"You_ challenged us to this duel. If you're a man, then see it through to the end."

"B-but…" Krory stuttered.

Allen tossed the wine bottle to Lavi. Lavi yelped slightly, then caught it. He held it uncertainly.

Allen took off his school uniform jacket and held it out. "This jacket may be a bit small, but it'll keep you warm." Allen gestured to the young blond boy who was wearing a mask to his face. The man in glasses glanced at the blonde boy behind him. As if on cue, the young boy coughed twice. Allen smiled. "I'll bet this and all of Krory's clothes. Would you like to challenge me?"

Lavi leaned in, looking alarmed. "Oi, Allen! What are you saying…?"

The man in glasses grinned mischievously, and his glasses gave a quick sparkle. "Okay."

_A few minutes later…._

Lavi clutched the empty wine bottle apprehensively. The blond boy looked on into the game. Allen took Krory's seat, holding up five cards.

"Call!" Allen shouted as he placed down five perfect cards. He chuckled to himself. Lavi looked over his shoulders to see an ace, king, queen, jack and a ten.

The three men sat across from him, stripped down to their underwear. "Royal straight….flush?!" They croaked together.

"I win again." Allen said, smiling.

"Ah! Damn it!" The men said, throwing the cards into the air. The men pulled out their wallets and threw the cash out onto the floor. Allen collected it and placed it into a neat pile beside him, smirking to himself.

The men leaned in. "What's going on?" The man with the bob asked. "We should be dealing him bad cards only, and yet…"

"We're being hustled!" The man with glasses whispered.

"We let our guard down by thinking he's just a kid! He's not just anyone, he's a pro!" The man wearing a beanie murmured.

Allen shuffled the cards, still smiling to himself, allowing the men a minute to discuss. _Too easy…_he thought to himself.

"Damn it! One more time!" The men shouted.

"Sure," Allen replied. "But before we do, please wash your underwear." He said as he shuffled the cards, first on the floor, the from hand to hand in the air. He was taunting the men in front of him. They glared at him through narrowed eyes.

Krory, still half naked on the side of the 'show', clasped his hands together. "You're amazing, Allen!"

Lavi leaned in, holding one hand in to block out his words from reaching the other men. "What's going on? You're strangely good. Aren't you supposed to be an 'unlucky boy'?"

Allen, still giving his signature grin, replied softly, "It's because I'm cheating."

Lavi cringed. "Eh? Seriously?! You're that kind of guy?!"

"They were the ones that started this with Krory." Allen said as he looked over his cards. He had one king, and four other useless cards. He gathered them, then threw them next to the pile. As he leaned in to grab more, a few cards slid down his sleeve and 'mysteriously' crawled into his hand.

"Eh?!" Lavi muttered, eyes widening.

Allen held the cards up to his face, so only his narrowed eyes appeared over. "I won't lose at cards." He murmured. "During my training, in order to earn a living and pay back my Master's debts, I focused on polishing my skills."

"'Skills'?" Lavi questioned. He looked at Allen and shuddered.

An evil aura rolled off Allen, and it almost appeared as if fire burst around him. "How many games have I won? I won't show mercy. It's three against one…so it's fair!"

Allen laughed insanely, almost as if he was a mad man. _Allen is black…._Lavi realized, looking slightly frightened at the scene. _Exactly what kind of training did he go through? _Whether Lavi was asking this for Bookman or his own curiosity, Lavi did not know, the line was blurred. Before he could elaborate on this though however, Allen shouted out, "Call!" as he placed down five more cards.

"Four of a kind!"

"What?!" The men shouted, clearly appalled at the situation.

"So dark…" Lavi muttered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The men stepped out of the cable car, still stripped to their underwear. They looked up at the sky, for it was getting dark out.

"Here," Allen said he stepped out of the cable car after them. He held out their clothes. "I don't care as long as I got my friend's stuff back."

"Kid," the man with glasses replied. "We haven't sunk so low as to be pitied by you."

"So, why are you grabbing them?"

"Ah.." The men replied. "Thanks anyways."

Allen nodded. "These are tough times. It's getting cold out anyways."

The blond boy walked up wordlessly to Allen and held up a small necklace.

"Eaze! That's your treasure! Wait, wait, I have something to give to him." The man with glasses replied.

"Don't worry about it," Allen said waving his hands in the air as if to say 'no'. _I already robbed you of your money anyways…_Allen thought to himself.

As the group walked away, the man with the glasses tossed something behind him. Allen caught it wordlessly.

"A deck?" Lavi said. Allen shrugged. "Ready, Krory?"

Krory stepped off the cable car as he pulled his arm into a sleeve. He hunched over embarrassedly. "Ah…thank you."

Allen smiled. "No problem." They waved goodbye as Krory stalked away.

"Damn, it's getting dark…" Lavi noted as he looked up at the sky.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Allen asked.

"Yeah. Damn Panda always makes me study. Let's take our time."

Allen laughed. "Okay."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Tyki:**

As soon as Tyki waved goodbye to the guys, he checked his watch. _Damn._ He thought to himself. He was going to be late. He quickly ran back to his apartment and changed into a suit. Throwing his glasses off, he pulled back his hair and put on his spare top hat. "Damn that Komui." Tyki recalled.

_Tyki was sitting at his desk in the teacher's lounge, reading a novel while the brats were at recess. Komui popped his head in over a stack of papers. "Tyki!" He said. _

_Tyki looked up. "What?" _

"_I need to borrow your hat." _

_And before Tyki could even reply, Komui snatched the hat and ran off with it. _

Tyki shrugged away the memory. He'd get it back later.

As soon as Tyki arrived at the Millenium Earl's mansion, he was welcomed with a bunch of angry shouts from the dining room.

"Tyki! You're late!" Rhode scolded.

"What took you so long?! We've had a long enough day as it is!" Devitto and Jasdero yelled.

"6:46. Forty-six minutes past time." Lulubell replied.

"Shame on you." Called Wisely.

"Come on, we don't want to waste anymore precious time." The Millenium Earl chanted.

Tyki sighed. He pulled a chair next to Rhode and sat down, placing his head in his hands. "Sorry." He said, turning his head to rest his chin in his hand.

The maids arrived with dinner. As all soon the food was placed, all thirteen family members dug in immediately.

"So why was it such a long day?" The Millenium Earl asked Jasdebi.

Devitto and Jasdero stopped in midbite. Instantly, they threw their heads on the table and tears burst like waterfalls from their eyes. Wisely moved his food disgustedly, out of range from the salty tears.

"That damn Cross bastard!" Devitto yelled.

"He put us in debt for a whole month! Hee!" Jasdero wailed.

Rhode began laughing immediately. "Ahaha! You guys are losers! Whos is this, 'Cross bastard'? How long have you known this guy, anyways?"

"We've stalking him for almost a week." Devitto said, dabbing his eyes, trying not to mess up his makeup.

"We've lost so much money, so fast, hee hee!" Jasdero replied.

Tyki looked up. "Money, eh? I've also lost a lot of money today."

"Not as much as we have!" The twins yelled together.

"Eh? How did you loose money, Tyki?" Rhode asked.

"Poker. That Allen Walker kid. He's surprisingly good." Tyki replied as he pulled out another cigarette.

"What exactly happened?" The Millenium Earl asked.

"Some friends and I were hustling some idiot, and then that kid, Allen, and one of his friends show up, and literally make us strip our clothes and rob our money. I don't know how the hell that kid knows how to play poker so well. He gave us our clothes back, however."

"Allen," Rhode gushed. "I like Allen…."

Tyki rolled his eyes.

"Well, it makes sense, seeing as Allen is Cross's disciple." The Earl said.

"Eh?" The twins raised their heads. "How do you know?"

The Earl shook his head. "When the time comes to tell, then I'll tell you."

Everybody looked confused at this, however the twins broke the silence.

"Yes!" Devitto yelled. He jumped from his seat and put one leg on the table. "A new target!"

"One easier than Cross! Hee hee!"

"We can take out our anger on his disciple! Cross won't be pleased! Ahaha! We're geniuses!" Devitto yelled.

Tyki sat back in his chair, puffing on his cigarette. "Interesting…"

"Eh? Does Tyki like Allen too?" Rhode asked curiously.

Tyki smiled. "I find him interesting."

**Bleh! This chapter was not very good. I had to force some of it. :P Forgive me, and my spelling/grammar errors. **

**References though! Yay! You probably noticed. There was like, 3 from the actual series and a few from the DGM school shorts. **

**I find it sad that so many people are writing DGM stories with OCs. Where's all the good old fashioned, real character stories? :(**

**It's getting hard to get inspired. **

**Oh! Another IMPORTANT NOTE!**

**I'm thinking about writing a side story to this. You know how in some mangas, like ****Vampire Knight, ****they have the actual plotline, then a bunch of stories that have nothing to do with it? They are usually only like two pages. **

**So if I get a lot of [positive] reviews, then I'll add a side story and update fast**

**So much was talked about in this chapter. I opened a few doors. O.o**

**For some reason Tyki raping Allen amuses me greatly. O.O (That's what the side story will be about! :hint hint:)**

**Kudos to anyone who actually read all of this. -.-**

**All I want for Christmas is a ton of REVIEWS!!**


	5. The First Visit, an Unexpected Meal

**ZOMG YOU GUYS PROBABLY HATE MY GUTS RIGHT NOW. I'M SOOOOOORRRRRRRYYY I DIDN'T MEAN TO PROCRASTINATE THIS LONG. In fact, I actually kind of forgot about this story, heh heh… :sweatdrop: DON'T KILL ME **

**Anyways, I want to thank all of my reviewers for reviewing!!! It really means so much to me!! I know I'm a long way away, but it really sucks when a story has more chapters than reviews. I want to by all means to avoid that. But I need YOUR HELP!!! :dies: Dora is influencing me, I'm sorry. T_T**

**And btw, I reread my chapters to get back up to speed (in my own story. Yeah, I know. I'm pathetic. ) and there are A LOT OF ERRORS. Dear God. It was embarrassing. I am so sorry. Please, take this bat and put me out of my misery. **

**But in another note, thank you to ****There Was A Silence**** for reviewing and waking me up from my eternal slumber! Check her stories out! Especially "Smile when I'm gone". Like, the only story to make me cry. Ever. **

**Anyways, here's a forced chapter to you guys. Enjoy my crappy writing. **

**-Disclaimer has disappeared due to an angry Kanda who was kept waiting for this chapter. He was also deprived of his Moyashi (aww, but he's MINE!)- **

**Allen: **

Life often takes unexpected twists and turns. One minute you are strolling across a beautiful park, feeling on top of the world, and the next minute you are falling off a cliff, plummeting into hell.

Only for Allen Walker, the term was taken literally.

Komui must have realized something was up when the students ignored each other as usual, chatting away with their friends, ignoring their assigned partners. In fact, he was so disappointed, he slammed his stack of papers on his desk loudly, drawing the class's attention to himself. Reever, Johnny, and Tapp, who were holding large stacks of papers next to his desk, sweatdropped as a reaction.

"Class!" Komui yelled, and everyone's attention locked to his eyes. "Has ANYONE bothered to meet up with their partners in the past week when it was assigned?"

The class was so quiet, you could almost hear Johnny's arms squeaking from the weight of the papers. Reever noticed, and attempted to hiss his best friend's name, kicking Komui's leg softly. He was ignored.

When nobody bothered to answer Komui's question, he said in a calmer voice, "I am very disappointed in you guys." It was silent for a moment, and some of the students even began to feel sorry for letting down their teacher, at least until the next words that came out of his mouth.

"THAT'S WHY YOU WILL NOW BE GOING TO EACH OTHER'S ASSIGNED HOUSES TO WORK. You will now have this project on top of the normal workload, since you took advantage of my kindness. Class is over, you may now go home."

Allen and Lavi turned to stone in their seats, all color draining from their faces. There were absolutely terrified of their partners. One was afraid he was going to be murdered, and the other was afraid he was going to be eaten. Lenalee also felt a cold prickle on the back of her neck, but she wasn't so fast as to show it. She played with the hair at the end of her pigtails nervously.

"I'm going to die." Allen said as his head slammed on his desk.

"I'm going to be eaten." Lavi said as his head slammed on his desk.

The two glared at each other, but the glares were very weak. They were too frightened to unleash their full anger on each other.

"Don't be so melodramatic, guys. Honestly, you guys behave like little girls." Lenalee said. But even as she said this, she couldn't help but tremble softly. There was something about Road that just wasn't right. A creepy feeling that made her skin prickle.

The bell rang, and the class barge out of the room in an angry manner. Reever, Johnny, and Tapp's arms finally gave out, and all the papers they were holding collapsed, scattering all over the floor. They bickered to Komui, who ignored them haughtily.

Allen, Lavi, and Lenalee were the last students in the classrooms. They stood up, and looked at each other sullenly. Lenalee gripped her school bag over her shoulder apprehensively, and said, "Well, I guess we better head to our partner's houses." A dull silence echoed between them, and they exited the school numbly.

"See you guys….maybe…" Allen said weakly as he gave a faint wave to them. Lenalee waved back, and Lavi didn't even bother waking up from his depression. It was okay. Allen understood.

He turned to the left, and a few yards ahead, he found the long, blacked haired boy. After a moment's hesitation, Allen sprinted to Kanda. _If I'm going to die, I may as well do it with dignity. _He thought.

"So, I guess we'll go to your house?" Allen said, his voice still a little weak from nervousness. He felt like a lamb going to a slaughterhouse. Which, in a way, he was.

There were on the bridge, and while Kanda didn't turn around, Allen could see he visibly twitched.

"Fuck off. You were never invited." The wind blew gently, and Allen caught a whiff of a sweet aroma. He looked around confusedly. It must be the cherry blossom trees. Yes, that must be it.

"Well," Allen said as he matched pace with Kanda, walking beside him, but at a little farther of a distance than normal. "We have to, otherwise we'll won't pass the project."

A vein popped in Kanda's head. "Fuck the project! Being partnered with you is hell enough. I don't give a shit about you."

Allen's eyebrows twitched, and he felt a small vein rising in his head. "If we don't pass this project, then we don't pass the year. We'll be held back." They crossed the street, and they were in a dirty neighborhood. A dirty, familiar neighborhood. _This is close to where I live…_Allen realized.

Kanda grunted softly, realizing what this meant. He picked up pace and passed by a poor man painting, taking a sharp turn up some stairs. The poor man and Kanda's conversation was brief and quick.

"Ara? Kanda? Back so soon?"

Kanda flipped him off before taking the sharp turn up the stairs. Allen followed behind, appalled by Kanda's rude behavior to a senior, homeless citizen. The poor man's gaze shifted to Allen, and he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Yu brought a friend?" he said as he looked Allen up and down. Allen flushed, but before he could say anything, a voice echoed down the stairs, "HE IS NOT MY FRIEND."

"Hm." The old man said, disappointed. What's your name, boy?"

"Allen Walker." He bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

The old man gasped, causing Allen to flinch. "You don't mean….Cross's disciple?" Allen looked up at this, confusion and shock written on his face. But before he could say anything, Kanda's voice echoed down the stairs again.

"_Get your ass up here, Moyashi!" _

Allen straightened, and called, "Yes!" He gave a last quick glance at the old man, who was staring at him strangely, before bounding up the stairs, two at a time. Allen jumped up two flights of stairs, reaching Kanda, who was leaning against a door frame angrily, on the second floor. Kanda che'd as Allen approached him.

"Slow as fuck." He muttered, as he stuffed the key into the door, twisting it, and swinging the door open. Kanda entered his apartment, tossing the key on the counter, and throwing his bag on the floor. Allen followed him silently, taking a look around. He closed the door silently behind him. He gasped when he saw the familiar woman, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall below the window. She had the same long black hair as Kanda, and her face was fair, and much more paler. She was the same woman Allen saw on his first day of school.

Kanda mistook his gasp for disgust. "Shut up. Just because this isn't a nice apartment doesn't mean you can make faces at it." Kanda strolled to the sink, took a cup and filled it with tap water. He drank it thirstily, and set it down on the counter.

"B-but…she…" Allen raised a shaky finger towards the woman, whom Allen realized was Kanda's mother.

Kanda glared at him darkly. "She's not dead." He said venomously.

Allen gulped. Kanda turned around, and ripped off his tie, throwing it on the table. He turned around, leaning against the counter and said, "Let's get this over with."

Allen hesitantly took a seat on the ground, next to the table. He set his bag on the ground next to him, and pulled out a white sheet of paper. He layed it down on the table, and glanced it over. (**(AN: What are these tables called? They have no legs, and usually the person sits on a pillow while they eat dinner/food/etc over it. It is seen in Fruits Baskets and Toradora. Most mangas have them I think.))**

Allen scanned the questions, sweating as he felt Kanda's penetrating gaze. "We were each assigned different questions, you know. You should have a sheet of paper too."

Kanda scowled, muttering how this was a pain, and retrieved his bag and took a seat across from Allen. He whipped out the piece of paper, and glared at it. "Where were you born?" He barked. Allen jumped from the suddenness. "Er, I don't know." He mumbled.

"How in the fuck do you not know?"

Allen whipped his head up at Kanda, his eyes flashing angrily. "I was abandoned!" He yelled. Kanda didn't move at all, but something in his eyes widened the tiniest bit. He glanced back down at his sheet of questions.

Allen scowled, and ran a hand through his hair, glancing at his set of questions. "Who was your first friend?" He asked irritably.

This time Kanda scowled. He threw his sheet of paper on the table, leaning back and crossing his arms. "What kind of fucking questions are these?" He ask furiously.

Allen shared his emotions. He clutched his paper, wrinkling the edges. "I don't know." He muttered.

They sat in silence, both realizing at the back of their heads that they actually agreed on something. They both glared at their papers, not wanting to look at the other person.

Kanda's mom slid off the wall, until she was horizontal with the ground. Allen stared at her, his gray orbs showing nothing. Kanda set his elbow on the table, his chin in his hand, watching Allen, almost waiting for something, like a challenge.

Allen got up from his seat and walked over to Kanda's mother. He bent down, and weaved his hand through her hair, placing it gently on her forehead. It was a little warm. "When was the last time she's eaten?" Allen asked without turning around.

Kanda scowled. "How the hell should I know." The image of drugs flashed through his mind, yet he said nothing.

Allen turned around to stare at Kanda. Kanda reacted by saying, "I don't fucking know! I've been at school all day!"

"Okay," Allen said as he narrowed his eyes. "When was the last time you saw her eat?"

It was silent for a few moments, the answer hung heavily in the air. "What are you, some fucking doctor?" Kanda muttered.

"That's it." Allen said as he stood up. He walked past Kanda, checking the cabinets. "Get up. We're going shopping for food."

"Why do I have to go?" Kanda asked irritably.

"Because you should know what food she likes." Allen said as he shifted his head to the left, so Kanda could only see one gray orb from his angle.

Kanda huffed, and stood up. He ran into the other room, and reappeared, shoving a fist of money into his pocket. He threw on a jacket and said, "Let's go." He headed out the door, and Allen followed behind.

They walked to the nearest store in silence. It was getting dark out, so they walked quickly. They didn't exactly live in the best neighborhoods. The store's open signed greeted them, and as they entered a little bell ringed.

The walked down the aisles. "What food does she like?" Allen asked, glancing through the shelves.

"Soba." Kanda replied as he grabbed a hand basket, and a few cup of noodles.

"Soba…" Allen muttered as he searched for it in the shelves. "Ah." He muttered. "Found it." He picked up three packages, and placed them in the basket. He walked into he next aisle, and Kanda had to jump two paces to keep up.

"Hey!" He said. "This is all we need."

Allen ignored him, and threw some fresh onigiri into the basket. He then picked up a few cases of mitarashi dango, and a few boxes of pocky. He threw them in the basket. He was about to throw the last box his when Kanda yanked away the basket, causing the box to fall on the floor with a dull thud.

"Oi! How much food are we buying?!" Kanda demanded.

"Not much." Allen said, his wide orbs piercing Kanda.

"What are you talking about?! We have enough food to feed people for a week!"

Allen glanced at the basket. It did look a little heavy, not that Kanda didn't mind, but it was in no way, enough food to feed people for a week.

"Nonsense." He muttered. "That's barely enough food to feed the three of us in two days."

Kanda stared at him incredulously. "I'm not paying for all this." He threatened.

Allen ignored him, walking towards the front of the cash register. "Covered." He called as he held up a wad of cash over his head. Kanda stared at him incredulously, then followed.

* * *

Then entered the apartment, carrying two bags each. Allen pushed the door open with his foot, and walked it, placing the bags on the table. He began unpacking the food, and he brought the soba to the counter. Kanda placed his bags of food on the table next to the other bags, now empty. He watched as Allen dug his way around the kitchen, before finally finding a decent pot.

He filled the pot with water, and set it on the stove, boiling the water. He ripped open the packages, and dumped them into the pot. The dug a wooden spoon out of one of the drawers, and he began stirring the food with the spoon. He threw some other ingredients in the pot, and before Kanda knew it, he was scooping out the noodles into three bowls.

He set three bowls of soba on the table, and found three sets of chopsticks. He threw one to Kanda, placed one to the bowl next to him, and one for himself. He broke open the chopsticks, and dug into the food right away. Kanda watched him in disbelief. He would have never guessed such a tiny person could make food so fast and eat so fast and so much. Allen's portion of food was twice the size of Kanda's. By the time Kanda cracked open his chopsticks, Allen had finished.

Allen moved his way to Kanda's mother. Gently, he placed his hands under her head and her shoulder, pulling her up into a sitting position. She leaned against the wall, blinking dazedly. Allen brushed away her hair, and she sat still, disoriented. He reached back and grabbed the steaming bowl and held it in his left hand, which Kanda had just noticed was red, and chopsticks in his right. Allen leaned forward and said softly, "Open."

Kanda's mother stared at Allen. She looked at him up and down, before finally opening his mouth. It must have been something about Allen's face, Kanda realized, that made his mother feel comforted. There was a look of innocent kindness to it. Allen picked up some noodles and stuffed it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed the bowl and chopsticks from him, and began eating furiously. Allen chuckled, and sat back into his seat at the table.

Kanda watched all of this, stunned. Slowly with his right hand, he grasped some noodles with his chopsticks, and shoveled it into his mouth. His eyes widened as the taste settled in his mouth. It was delicious. Kanda wanted to eat is quickly, like he couldn't shovel enough food into his mouth, like he was a starving man, but he ate slowly and normally, not wanting to give Allen satisfaction. He hadn't eaten anything home cooked for a while now. He didn't know what Allen did to the soba, but it tasted delicious. He noted that Allen looked slightly disappointed of Kanda's reaction to the food.

Kanda was the last one to finish, and he was started to find his mother and Allen staring at him. He bristled, and said, "What?" Allen just shook his head, and stood up, gathering the bowls. He placed them in the sink, and began to wash. He pulled the pot to wash too. It was silent.

What absolutely stunned Kanda was not the fact that Allen was actually capable of making delicious food, but the fact that it was so delicious Kanda craved more, and it was enough to wake his mother up from her "trance". Kanda watched stupidly as his mother got up and paced towards Allen. She placed her hands around his waist, and leaned against him. They were about the same height. Both short. Her head leaned against his neck, and she sighed in content. Allen stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed awkwardly. He chuckled.

As he finished the dishes, he unhooked her arms from his waist and placed them back to her sides. He leaned against the sink, smiling softly at his mother in a polite way. Kanda's mother paced back towards her spot, picked something up, and paced back to Allen. She showed it to him.

It was a small white container. And when Allen and Kanda both realized what it was, they bristled. Kanda shot up from his seat about to make his way over when Allen snatched the bottle away from Kanda's mother. "No! This is bad for you!" Allen scolded. He tossed the container to Kanda, who threw it out the window.

"Here, I'll make mitarashi dango instead." Allen turned around and opened the box. He pulled out a stick and stuffed some of the dango on like a person would stuff a marshmallow on. "Here." He said, giving it to Kanda's mother. She took it and sat back down at the table. Allen pulled out a plate of dango and placed them on a table.

"Here." He said as he held out a stick of dango for Kanda. Kanda shook his head. "I don't like sweets." He said. Allen stared at him curiously, making Kanda's skin prickle weirdly. Allen shoved a few sticks in his mouth, and grunted. He wrote something on his paper, and he held it up for Kanda to see. It said:

_Question 46:_

_Does your partner like sweets?_

Allen scrawled in '_no'. _

Kanda, unsure of what to do, nodded. He glanced back at his paper, looking for some questions. He found one. It said:

_Question 52:_

_Does your partner like sweets?_

He scrawled in '_yes' _and showed it to Allen. He nodded.

They sat in silence, scanning their questions. Allen finished the plate of dango, and checked the time. "7:47," he murmured. "It's late. I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he stood up. Kanda's mother stood up and gave him a hug. She walked him towards the door. He waved before leaving. Allen closed the door as he left, and Kanda's mother stared at it, like a lost puppy. Kanda scoffed, and his mother looked back at him. She walked into the other room and closed the door. She was off to sleep in her bed, for the first time in a long time.

Kanda sat at the table, staring ahead at nothing. The Moyashi was strange. Kanda wondered why his hand was a mangled bloody red. A birth defect? With white hair? And a funny scar on his face? Kanda inwardly flinched as the pieces clicked. Allen was born different, so his parents abandoned him. A small part of him regretted making fun of him of this a while back.

"_Who the fuck has white hair, except for old men?!" _

Kanda flinched, remembering the memory. He shrugged it off. It wasn't like he was going to be outwardly nice to the idiot.

He stood up and clicked off the lights.

Let's leave the tough thinking to somebody else, shall we?

**GAAAhhh, :dies: **

**And no, I wrote this at 1 in the morning, I didn't go back to check. I will regret this later when I find 2857374 grammar errors. **

**I am so out of tune with this story. And the characters. If Kanda seems OOC, then I'm sorry. But I did get some angsty Allen, which is a plus. ^^ I was gonna write Lavi and Lenalee's experience with their partners, but since I typed out 3000 words for Yullen, I never got around to it. Maybe in the next chapter?**

**Oh and I wanted to upload some stories to fanfiction a while back, but for some reason it wouldn't let me. Seriously. I tried to upload a Sherlock Holmes story but it said 'error'. That was also another problem. :P**

**But, anywho, I have a deviantart! You guys should really check it out, like, REALLY. I have two DGM pics, a stupid comic of Kanda having a nosebleed of Allen, and a touched up photograph. You should really check it out. My username is **_**Kamaki-chan**_**. ;) The link should be in my profile, I hope it works. **

**Anyways! Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment by clicking on the green button below!**

**Can I ask for 7+ reviews?? :D**


	6. A picnic, a game, and a phone call

**Hi everyone! I feel bad, cuz I'm gonna throw a lot of shit towards Allen and make his life absolutely miserable. But that just adds more suspense to the story and keeps you guys entertained. :D**

**And btw, I'm sorry, Lenalee seems to be really excluded from this story. I have nothing against her, but she doesn't really fit in my Allen pairings….CONSIDERING THEY ARE ALL GUYS, OF COURSE SHE DOESN'T FIT IN. It's okay, Lenalee, Rhode doesn't fit it either. **

**Tada! My present from me to you! Today is my birthday, and I've decided to post this chapter up specially. **

**LAST MINUTE NOTE::: In this story Lenalee has long hair all the way. **

**Allen: **

It was a Saturday morning, around 11 o'clock, and the day had just begun. It was a beautiful fall day in November, and the skies were blue, and there was a light breeze. It had been overcast forever, and Lenalee had wanted to take advantage of this bright and beautiful day. It wasn't too hot nor too cold. It was the perfect weather for a picnic.

Allen just got off of the phone with Lenalee. Lavi, Allen, and Lenalee all lived in the same general area, so they agreed to meet on the bridge. Allen was bringing the blanket, Lenalee was bringing the basket of food, and Lavi was bringing drinks.

As Allen stepped onto the street, he saw Lenalee in the distance. He waved his left arm high in the air, and called "Lenalee!" She turned around and waved after noticing Allen. It crushed Lenalee's heart a little as she noticed Allen's blood red hand. Recognizing someone from a distance was always a challenge for everyone, but when you see the white hair and the red hand you automatically knew who it was, without having to see their face. It hurt Lenalee's heart a little to realize it, depending on a friend's deformity to recognize them.

"Hi Allen-kun! How are you?"

Allen smiled brightly. "Great! It's a beautiful day today. How are you?"

Lenalee smiled. "Great!" Her face turned apologetic. "Did I call you too early? I was afraid it was too early to call, because when I called Lavi, it sounded like he just rolled out of bed…" Her eyes turned to the top corner of her eyes, looking thoughtful.

Allen laughed. "I'm sure he's fine! He was probably just studying all night because of Bookman."

Lenalee smiled. "Probably."

They walked in silence for a bit, until a cute Asian girl wearing a lolita outfit crossed their path. Allen's eyes trailed the girl as she passed by, and Lenalee had to hotly pinch his ear and pull his face away from the girl. "Eyes forward!" She said hotly, her eyebrows pointing down slightly. Allen laughed awkwardly, and said, "Ah ha ha…right."

They arrived on the bridge the same time Lavi arrived. Lenalee waved her hand in the air, and shouted his name. He appeared in a daze, but when he heard his name it snapped out of it. He smiled and waved back. "Hi Lenalee!" He turned to Allen, looking serious.

"Allen!" He called urgently, as they came closer to Lavi. "Did you see that incredibly cute Lolita girl? She was so cute! She was totally my type!"

Allen's eyes lit up. "I know! She looked just like those Victorian dolls from England! Except she was wearing all black, and dolls from England are usually more colorful!"

"That's because she was a gothic Lolita! Probably a Kuro-lolita to be exact. Kuro lolita's wear all black! I wonder if I chase her, she'll give me her num—"

A loud smack echoed the park, causing a bird to fly overhead, cawing that sounded suspiciously like, "Ahou, ahou." **((Ahou means idiot, I think)) **

Lenalee grabbed both of Allen and Lavi's ears, and dragged them to a nice clean spot on the grass. Her face was reddened, and she said, "Geez! Can't you guys keep your eyes off girls for one moment?"

Allen and Lavi, who were being dragged by their ears, could only grunt in pain. They rubbed their red faces, trying to ignore the sting. When Lenalee finally dropped them, they stood up apologetically.

"Sorry," Allen said, looking sheepish, his cheeks still red from the smack and a faint blush.

Lavi laughed awkwardly, and scratched the back of his head. He adjusted his bandana and eyepatch and stepped forward, giving Lenalee and hug from behind, his head resting on hers. "Sorry Lena. Didn't mean to make you feel jealous."

Lenalee's face reddened, and she elbowed Lavi in the gut. He let out an 'oomph!', and clutched his sides. "I wasn't jealous!" She said hotly. Her face was still flushed, and she closed her eyes, forming an irritated expression. "I was just shocked by the reactions a single girl can to do two teenage boys. Honestly! That's a scary observation." She folded her arms, shaking her head.

"Ah..well…" Allen said. "I got the blanket." He said as he unfolded his blanket. He threw it up in the air, and set it gently on the ground. Lenalee smiled at him and sat down on it, placing the basket next to her. Allen and Lavi sat across from her, forming a triangle between the three of them.

Lavi pulled drinks from behind him. "Drinks!" He said as he popped the cork, and fizz poured out of it immediately.

"Not on the blanket!" Allen said teasingly, as he pushed Lavi off. Lavi fell forward, rolling off the blanket, almost spilling the contents. "Hey!" He shouted, but he had a smile on his face. "Is this 'pick on Lavi' day or something? Do you know how hard it was to get out of the house with Bookman on my back? Seriously! I barely opened the door an inch, and he pops out of nowhere, asking stupid questions like 'Where are you going?' 'Why?' 'What does the world have to offer to YOU?'"

Allen laughed, and Lenalee giggled. "Sounds tough." Allen said, as he leaned back on his hands, smiling broadly.

Lenalee smiled. "You know, I was this close to getting Kanda to come too." She held up two fingers, closing them close together.

"WHAT?!" Allen and Lavi shouted in unison. They both looked at each other, then looked away. Allen could feel his heart beating fast.

"What? He was a childhood friend of mine. I thought it would be nice to ask. He doesn't seem to go out much. He's not really a bad guy." Lenalee said, as she unpacked the basket, looking thoughtful.

Lavi blew air out of his mouth. "Every time I try to talk to that guy, he blows up and threatens to slice me up with his sword." Lavi chuckled. "It's kinda funny. Hey, by the way Allen, how was the meeting with him on Thursday?"

Allen looked down, closing his eyes, his face looking crossed between thoughtful and annoyed. He scratched his chin, recalling the memories. "It wasn't as bad as I thought."

"Aha!" Lenalee interjected.

"It was still weird though!" Allen shot back. "I ended up making dinner for him and his mom."

"Allen cooking?" Lavi said, looking thoughtful. "Dear God, what did you blow up this time?"

Allen threw the cork at Lavi's head. It bounced off. "Shut up!" He said. "But anyways, Kanda is still a bastard. He swears a lot." Allen left out the part about Kanda cooling off a bit, after he mentioned…he was abandoned.

Lenalee nodded apologetically. "That's just his personality. He never really let anyone in as a kid. He always insisted on being alone, not wanting to be bothered."

"Wow. How did you guys become friends?"

Lenalee looked thoughtful, as she handed out sandwiches. "I guess it's not necessarily friends…but he was kind to me. Not exactly kind, but he wouldn't blow up and cuss and threaten me. Deep down, he is a nice guy."

Allen and Lavi looked at each other, before bursting out laughing. Lenalee sighed. _Boys will be boys…._She thought to herself.

As they finished, Allen wiped the tears from his eyes. "So how was your guys's meeting?" He looked between Lavi and Lenalee, waiting for an answer.

Lavi groaned, and held his head in his hands. "So…much…food…." Lavi muttered to himself.

"Lavi?"

"We got absolutely nothing down. He sat there and ate his whole refrigerator of food, while I just hid in the corner. It was worse than a horror movie." Lavi said. "Screw the project. I'm just gonna make up answers." They didn't need to ask who the food maniac was. Enough was said.

Lenalee smiled apologetically. "I went to Road's house. Actually, she lived in a mansion. We didn't get much done either. She insisted on doing my hair, and dressing me up." Lenalee brought her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. "She's just…creepy. I don't know how to explain it, but there is something about her that makes my skin crawl." She twirled one of her two ponytails in her hands.

Allen nodded. "I know what you mean." He said.

They dug into their food, laughing and talking about random things. Just as they were close to finishing, they heard a gun click. They looked up.

Up in a tree, sat Devitto and Jesdero. They both had gold rifles and they were pointing it towards Allen. They attended Black Order academy, but they rarely showed up to school.

"Allen Walker!" Devitto shouted. "We meet again!" He licked the barrel of his gun.

"Huh? I never met you." Allen said, thinking back hard.

"Shut up!" Jasdero shouted angrily. "It adds suspense. Hee hee!"

"What do you want anyways?" Lavi asked, squinting as he looked up in the bright sunlight.

Jasdebi inhaled deeply, then shouted, "THAT BILL THAT CROSS BASTARD LEFT FOR US! WE'LL MAKE THE PUPIL PAY FOR THE MASTER'S DEBTS!" The tree ached and shook slightly.

A dull silence echoed the area. Even the wind stopped blowing.

"D-debts?" Lenalee asked. Everyone turned to stone.

"That's right!" Jasdero yelled.

"That son of a bitch Cross…" Devitto yelled.

"HE LEFT US WITH A TON OF DEBTS BEFORE RUNNING AWAY!" They yelled together.

Devitto gripped onto the tree branch, sobbing. "Cross is as evil as a demon! Dammit!"

"This here is the freaking bill!" Jasdero yelled as he pulled out a book of bills.

"It totals one hundred guineas! We'll make you pay it all!" Devitto screamed as he pointed an accusing finger to Allen. They burst out into tears.

A dull silence echoed the park. Allen slouched, an unusual thing for him to do as he felt a familiar constriction in his chest, a shortness of breath, and an overwhelming weight on his shoulders.

"Wah, wah…" He began, staring at the ground blankly. Lavi leaned towards Allen. "Allen?" He asked uncertainly, holding a hand over Allen's shoulder.

"ONE HUNDRED GUINEAS?!" Allen looked up with a glint in his eyes. Lavi's skin prickled and he gave a small yell in shock. Dark Allen was back. "WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT SMALL POCKETCHANGE LIKE THAT?" He asked in suppressed anger. The type of anger that was calm before it blew up.

Lavi's hair on the end of his neck stood up. He never heard Allen cuss before, and he's known him for a few months.

Devitto glared at Allen, gritting his teeth. "You bastard! You'll pay!"

Horn sprouted from Allen's head, and Lavi gave a small scream again. Lenalee bowed her head in shock from Allen's dark side, and the girlishness of Lavi's scream. It was almost embarrassing.

"Stop whining you bastards. You wouldn't even know the debts I had, _have,_ to pay…" Allen said. ("Just what kind of training did Allen go through?" Lavi asked, but was ignored.)

Allen looked down for a moment, his hair blocking his eyes, then he looked up, pointing his finger to Jasdevi, shouting, "CROSS MARIAN IS NOT 'LIKE' A DEMON, HE IS A GENUINE DEMON! AND YOU BETTER NOT BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THAT!"

"You asshole!" Devitto screamed.

"We'll make you pay for everything!" Jasdero yelled.

They paused, licking their gun barrels. "But first we'll have some fun."

Allen narrowed his eyes. Then he sighed, and said, trying to lure them in, "Having fun is only fun when you gamble."

Jasdebi took the challenge immediately. "We'll definitely win! If we win, then you pay for our debts!"

Allen smirked. "But if I win, you let us go."

"Fine!" They pulled out a deck of cards and threw them on the ground. They scattered everywhere. "Find what we are looking for in under three seconds!"

Allen had just managed to squat down when Jasdero shouted, "Three of a kind!"

Allen's hands moved like a flash. "Here."

"Bingo! Full house!"

"Here."

"Bingo! Royal Straight Flush!"

"Heeere."

"Bingo..!"

"Wow, Allen-kun!" Lenalee commended. Allen smiled. "This is a piece of cake." He replied.

After several failed gambling games, Allen still winning in the lead, the twins grew frustrated.

"Damn it!" Devitto yelled. Jasdero pointed to a nearby trashcan with his gun. "In one of those beer bottles over there, there is a bomb! If you don't locate it and disable it soon, it will go boom! Hee hee!"

Lenalee and Lavi gasped. They began searching for the beer bottles.

Allen stood there, staring blankly at them. "I recognize these bottles…" He muttered as he peered into the pile of bottles. Lenalee turned to look at him. "Huh?"

"If I remember correctly, these are the brands Master sent me out to buy…."

Lenalee stared at Allen, while Lavi continued to search frantically for the bottle.

"Allen, this isn't the time to reminisce…" Lavi said.

"It all cost so much…" Allen muttered. "But the most expensive one was…Shwartz!" He said as he picked it up. He held it up proudly. The ticking continued loudly.

"Disable it quickly!" Lavi shouted in panic.

"How?" Lenalee freaked, clutching her hands together tightly.

"Allen! Throw it!" Lavi yelled.

Allen fumbled with it, then threw it at Jasdebi. The bottle bounced twice before it blew up next to them. They ran away, covered in ash, cursing them. "We'll get you!" They shouted.

Lavi laughed and clapped, patting Allen on the back. Lenalee sighed in relief. "Glad that's over." Lavi said.

Lenalee looked up at the sky sadly. "Aw, it's overcast. It looks like it's going to rain."

Lavi and Allen looked up after her. The three of them stared up at the sky silently. A drop of rain landed on Allen's forehead, and he blinked, rubbing it away. "Guess this is the end of our picnic." He muttered. They sighed, and returned to their picnic area and began to clean up.

In the midst of cleaning up, Allen's phone began to buzz. "Excuse me." He muttered. He flipped it open, and jogged a few steps away, in attempt to keep the call private. However he was still in hearing range of Lavi and Lenalee.

"Mushi mushi?" Allen greeted into the phone. **((Japanese greeting over the phone. Hope I spelled it right))** He paused, wondering who it was.

"_Allen," _a familiar voice called over the phone. _"It's Cross."_

"Hello, shishou." Allen wondered confusedly why Cross called him. Something wasn't right. There was a serious tone to the phone call. Cross never called him for wine.

"_I'm afraid I have some bad news concerning your parents." _

Allen's stomach twisted, and he got the sick feeling you get before you knew something bad was going to happen. "Y-yes?" He said hesitantly. He held his cell phone with two hands, pressing it to his ear.

"_Your parents were found dead yesterday morning. They were discovered on the other side of town around three in the morning. They were brutally murdered." _

Allen stared at the ground in shock, wondering how he should feel. He was shocked, definitely, but was he sad? He tried to say something, anything to respond to his master, but the words stuck in his throat.

"_Allen?" _Cross called over the phone. Cross was being unusually gentle with Allen, and even called him by his first name. For some reason, this made it even more difficult for Allen. He tried to breathe numbly.

"Y-yes." Allen managed to croak. His eyes stung, and his throat seemed to close up. Everything felt cold.

"_I want you to come back to the apartment immediately. We'll discuss this in person." _

Allen nodded, seeing as he was unable to respond verbally. Cross somehow knew this, and he said, _"Goodbye." _

Back a few steps away, Lenalee watched Allen worriedly. "Lavi," she asked, her words thick with worry. "Who is he talking to? He's been standing there for a while."

Lavi shrugged. He had also sensed something was wrong, but he was still denying it, trying to will it to be right. Normal. Happy cheery Allen. He folded Allen's blanket neatly, and set it down, placing it under Lenalee's basket. They watched Allen warily, noticing his shoulders rising up as time passed. He seemed to be growing tense.

"I'm going over there." Lenalee said as she took a step forward. She was held back by Lavi, who was staring ahead at Allen. She followed his gaze. He was breathing weirdly, and even from the distance, they could hear the shaky breath in, and the shaky breath out.

Almost as if on cue, Allen turned around, placing his cell phone in his pocket. Lenalee wasn't sure if Allen shed any tears, for there were no traces. His face was paler, and he looked as if he was in shock.

"Allen?" Lenalee called hesitantly. He looked up, piercing her with his gaze. It was a soft, tired gaze, almost defeated. One that came before or after a funeral.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. She walked to Allen, placing her hands around his left arm. She tried to look at his face, but his eyes were covered by his hair.

He nodded softly, and muttered numbly, "I have to go. Something…came up. I'll see you guys later." And he took off, sprinting back in the direction he came this morning. Lenalee watched him go in concern. She turned to Lavi, and asked, "Why didn't you do anything?" It almost sounded like an accusation, but it was laced with fear.

Lavi turned away, picking up the blanket and her basket. "What could I do?" It was a rhetorical question, one that he would continue to ask himself in the future. When Lenalee didn't answer, he began to walk back. He turned around and waited for her. Lenalee caught up with him, and they walked side by side on the way home.

Though their walk back was silent, both were wondering, _Why is it that good things always end? _

Why indeed.

**This chapter sucked really bad. Worse thing I ever wrote in this series. It started out good, then I took a break. Came back, worked a little, took another break. Came back and it sucked. The only thing that might have saved it was the angst part, and that was abrupt too. **

**The Jasdevi part was teeeeeerrible!!!!!! :hides face in shame: The transition was too faaaaast!!!!!!! :bangs head against wall:**

**Sorry Allen, I'm making your life absolutely terrible. Readers beware! His life is gonna suck. **

**Omake from TehExorcist! :D**

**Kanda: Hey Allen, you're a beansprout.**

**Allen: Your mom's a beansprout! **

**Kanda: YOUR BEANSPROUT'S A MOM!**

**Allen: …..what?**

**I'M BEING GREEDY BECAUSE THIS CHAPTER SUCKED SO BAD. **

**I WANT ****10**** REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **

**But in all seriousness, today is my birthday! Anyone wanna leave me a birthday review? :D**


	7. Delete

**Lavi: Hey Yu, I haven't talked to you at all in this story!**

**Kanda: Thank the fucking Lord. **

**Lavi: But the authoress intends to portray us as close buddies. In fact, she wants me, you, Allen, and Lenalee portrayed as close friends. **

**Kanda: So?**

**Lavi: So we haven't even talked to each other yet! We jumped into a friendship!**

**Kanda: That's because the authoress didn't fucking plan out the story well. Now she's stuck, and desperately trying to make it work. **

**Me: STFU T_T**

**Guys, I've been reading other DGM AU stories….and honestly looking back at mine…it's kinda embarrassing…I RUSHED EVERYTHING! T_T The storyline could have been rewritten SO MUCH BETTER. I apologize again. **

**But anyways, thank you for the reviews!!! I had a great birthday, and it means a lot that you wished me a happy one. :3**

**Disclaimer: …..wishful thinking…**

**I felt this chapter needed some Allena.**

* * *

**  
**

**Allen:**

Allen didn't show up to school the following week.

Life resumed anyways, however, not skipping a beat. It was the end of November, with only a few days left until December. Komui still assigned more questions for their project, and people still continued to meet with each other twice a week. Lavi and Lenalee were on top of their schoolwork, but Kanda was the only one who was falling behind in his project.

Allen sat on the couch in his apartment with his knees to his chest as he looked out the window. The sky was overcast and the weather was cold. The clouds threatened to snow any day now, tempting everyone and lingering in the sky.

Allen rested his chin on his knees. So much had happened in the past week. He had returned home to Cross to discuss the matter in person. In the time span of a week they investigated the crime scene, searched Allen's parent's house, and attended the funeral. The funeral was especially awkward for Allen because he didn't know what to feel. Cross, Allen, and a small group of men and women they did not know, crowded around the graves as the dirt hit the coffins with a dull thud. They were dressed nicely for once, for the first time ever, wearing their black suits. The whole time Allen stood stiffly and bit his lip so hard that he broke the skin and drew blood. He didn't know what expression he had on his face, but whatever it was it was enough for Cross to place a hand on Allen's shoulder. It was probably the biggest hint of comfort Allen had ever received from him, but he was too numb to think anything of it at the time.

Still, even now, Allen had no idea what he should be feeling. He had decided that the hollow feeling in his chest was sadness. It was nowhere near the sadness he felt for Mana, but it was still sadness, nonetheless.

_Why am I even sad? _He thought to himself as he stared out the window numbly. His parents abandoned him as a child, so he didn't know why he cared at all. He should be feeling the exact opposite. He was betrayed and unloved by his parents. And yet, through all the memories of Allen and Mana, Allen could faintly remember a few wisps of memories of him and his parents. He couldn't remember their faces, but he knew for sure that they were always smiling. The smiles were probably fake, but even false happiness was better than no happiness. Even Allen's parents, whose smiles were filled with lies right before they abandoned him, had managed to screw his life up in the long run. The question remained unanswered. Why the hell was he even sad?

He stared out the window, as if an answer would suddenly pop up before him.

* * *

**Lenalee:**

Lenalee was in her apartment, tapping her foot anxiously in front of the oven. _Come on…_ She thought to herself anxiously. She turned on the oven light and peered inside, as if it would go faster. She fiddled around for a few more minutes, playing with her hair, then her skirt, then finally walking to the window in exasperation.

She glanced outside, looking at the weather. _If it's going to snow, then just snow already…_ She thought to herself. The oven dinged, and Lenalee smiled as she jumped towards the oven.

Putting on some oven mitts, she opened the oven and pulled out a tray of cookies. She bit into one, burning her tongue, but moaned at the sweet goodness. The chocolate cookies were delicious. Quickly, she poured them into a plastic bag and tied it with a ribbon. Placing the cookies gently in her bag, she swung the bag over her shoulders and she went out the door, locking it behind her.

The weather outside wasn't too unbearable unless the wind hit. But then again, the civilians in this area of the world were used to the cold. Lenalee half jogged, hoping the cookies didn't break or cool off too quickly. She rounded the corner and leaped up a few flight of stairs.

Finally reaching her destination, she stood before an apartment door. She raised her hand to knock, then hesitated. She faltered for a minute, then knocked. She heard shuffling, and soon the door swung wide open.

Allen looked surprised to see Lenalee there. "Lenalee…" He said in shock. Lenalee was surprised too, but for a different reason. This was the first time Lenalee had ever seen Allen look disheveled. His white hair was tousled, and his shirt was rumpled, as if he hadn't changed it in days. There was a faint red ring under his eyes, and he looked tired. He opened the door and stepped aside, motioning for Lenalee to come in. "Hi Allen." She replied.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Lenalee walked into the apartment. She had never been there before. The place was surprisingly clean—only a few miscellaneous objects here and there. According to her brother, Cross was generally a messy person. Perhaps Allen had tidied up out of boredom, since there was no way he could have known Lenalee was coming.

Allen closed the door behind her and followed, eyes on the ground as he absently scratched the back of his head. Lenalee placed her bag on the coffee table and unzipped it as she took a seat on the couch. Allen sat next to her. She pulled out a few textbooks and notebooks, placing them gently on the coffee table next to her bag. She proceeded to pull out a few sheets of papers. "This is the homework my brother assigned to us over the week. You're lucky we don't have a lot. It shouldn't take long to catch up." Allen nodded, and said politely, "Thank you."

Lenalee held out the papers in front of Allen, and said, "Theses are the new set of questions for the project. So far, you and Kanda are the only ones who are behind."

Allen ran and hand through his hair tiredly, and took the sheets of papers, gazing over them quickly. "Thank you Lenalee. I'm grateful you took the time to do this for me."

Lenalee nodded, suddenly unable to respond. Allen seemed so…dead. Had his parents' death really affected him? He reverted back to his polite mechanical state. Worry began to prickle the edge of her eyes, but Allen didn't notice because he was busy looking at the questions.

Lenalee dug back into her bag, and pulled out the bag of cookies. She held them up, as if they were a last attempt to cheer him up. She held them out awkwardly. "I made these for you…" She said awkwardly. "Just a little something to cheer you up." She gave a small smile.

Surprise flickered across Allen's face. Gently he picked up the bag of cookies and stared at them with tenderness on his face. His eyes softened. "Thank you Lenalee." This time it sounded much more sincere and real.

Lenalee's finger twitched, and she felt the sudden urge to give Allen a hug, so she did. She placed her arms around him and pulled him into an embrace. He stiffened at first, then gradually relaxed. "Are you okay?" She asked in a small voice.

Allen placed his hands around Lenalee and nodded, suddenly choked up. "I…" He began.

"You miss them, don't you?"

Allen bit his lip. Lenalee shifted herself so that Allen's forehead rested on her shoulder. She rubbed his back gently, patiently waiting.

Allen hugged her tightly, and said as he choked over his words, "I…I don't know why. I don't miss them, I just feel sad they're gone. I _think_ I'm sad. I'm not sure what I feel. They've never been there for me, and they abandoned me, so I don't know why I even care." His voice began to shake.

Lenalee rubbed his back harder, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she remembered her parents. She blinked them back furiously.

"I don't know what I should be feeling. I've always wanted to get them back for abandoning me, but…" Bitter tears leaked out of his eyes and he raised his left hand to wipe them away. He pulled back his hand to see it clearly. Fury welled in him and he clenched his mangled hand. He trembled as he stared at it.

"I never asked for this! I never did anything to them!" He yelled, anger causing his voice to tremble. Another tear slipped out but he didn't realize it. "Do you think I like being this way?!" He shouted out loud, not expecting an answer.

Lenalee pulled back, tears welling up in her eyes. She stared into Allen's eyes and smiled softly. She touched his face tenderly and said, "No, but we love you anyway."

Allen stared back at her, and suddenly felt weak. His face crumpled into a small smile and he leaned into Lenalee, resting his head on her shoulder. Lenalee rubbed his back again, and she faintly heard, a 'thank you'…

* * *

**. . . . . **

"Please! Stop!" The man shouted and he ran through the graveyard. Hysteric tears streamed down his face as he ran through the gravestones. His heart pounded fearfully, and he anxiously gazed around him, always flickering back to look behind him.

He continued running, and madly dashed through trees and bushes. The branches scratched his face but he didn't care.

"_You've been caught in a game of cat and mouse. You've sacrificed your friends. Now it's your turn to die."_ A loud voice echoed throughout the graveyard.

The man continued running forward madly. "I have to live! I have a wife and a kid to raise!"

"_You are a sinner and deserve to die."_ The voice echoed back.

The man ran faster, fear placing itself in the man's stomach. "Someone help!" He yelled. He thought of his friends, dead in the river in the back of the graveyard. He dove into a thick set of trees. The branches scratched his face, and he looked back, holding his breath, waiting…

The man turned around to see a face grinning at him through the bushes. It was a wonder how he didn't look sweaty even though he was wearing a suit and a top hat. The face whispered,

"_No."_

* * *

_  
_

**Allen:**

Allen entered the gates of the graveyard, feeling a slightly better thanks to Lenalee. He held three roses in his hands. Two were red, and one was white. He gripped them, enjoying the thorns pricking his skin through his glove. It was a nice reminder of why he came here.

Traveling deep into the graveyard, Allen took a series of twists and turns through different paths to reach his destination—his parents' graves. As he approached them, he felt his chest constrict and he bit his lip so hard he tasted blood. He considered turning around, then stopped himself. He didn't come all this way just to turn around. He had to do this.

He approached the graves slowly, taking one step at a time, almost hesitantly. As he stood before them, he swallowed the bile that rose to his throat. He gritted his teeth and clenched the flowers so tightly the stems almost broke. His muscles tensed, and for one moment of insanity, he was tempted to defile the graves, and make it so no one would ever be able to make out the names.

The graves read:

_Loving Mother and Father_

In blind fury, he rose up the roses he held and prepared to throw them down on the graves, but stopped himself halfway. He willed himself to forgive his parents, anything to calm down the fury building up within him. He wished Lenalee or Lavi were with him, or even Kanda for that matter. He was surprised with himself for thinking of him, and he suddenly felt guilty for not showing up to school. Kanda must be furious with Allen by now.

Sighing, Allen fingered the red roses, staring at them. He turned them over and over; he fingers twitching to break them. Knowing this was the best way to channel his anger, he ripped off all the petals on the two roses and let them fall from his hands onto the graves. He cast aside the stems, and walked away, holding the white rose delicately in his hand, untouched by his fury.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Allen hugged his coat to himself tighter. It was still light out, but the sun was beginning to set. He hurried along the graves, making his way to the most important place to him.

Mana's grave was only a few feet away, and as Allen approached it, he nearly jumped out of his skin from the moan he heard nearby. He spun around and scanned the area tensely. "Who's there?" He called out. His back was to Mana's gravestone.

Another moan echoed the area, and a man dragged himself from behind a gravestone. Allen's skin prickled and an icy sword placed itself in his heart as fear settled in his stomach. The man attempted to stand, then collapsed.

Alarmed, Allen ran to the man and kneeled down, placing his hands on the man's shoulders. "Sir!" He yelled urgently. "Sir!"

The man's bloodshot eyes opened, and his arms shot out and grabbed Allen's shirt by the collar. "Save. . .me. . ." He choked out, as blood dripped from his mouth.

"Save you from what?" Allen said as his eyes darted from one spot to another. He looked around apprehensively; the whole place seemed chilling now. The wind blew by gently, only now it sounded like a moan.

"The. . .man. . ." The stranger began. His words were slurring and slowing down. He was about to say something else, but to Allen's shock a foot stepped on the stranger's head, shoving it deep into the ground roughly. Appalled, Allen looked up, tracing the foot up to the face.

A very wealthy man by the looks of it, was wearing a well-fitted suit and a top hat. He took off the hat, and ran a hand through his curly hair. He sighed, looking peacefully content.

"What are you doing?!" Allen shouted angrily. "Can't you see you're stepping on a man?!"

The man looked down lazily, and his eyes widened at the sight of Allen. The odd gold color made Allen's skin prickle.

"Boy?!"

* * *

**Tyki:**

Tyki's eyes widened. "What the?! Cheating boy A?!" He said, astonished. He crouched down and tipped his top hat up a little, so he could see better.

Allen looked confused. "What?"

"Oh I see. You don't recognize me in this form." Tyki smiled sheepishly. Even though he knew the answer, Tyki pulled out a small notecard and asked, "Could you be Allen Walker by any chance?"

Catching him off guard, Allen slapped Tyki across the face. "_Shut up!_ Now get off him! What did you do him?!"

Tyki looked surprised as he rubbed his face gingerly. Allen had one hell of a slap. Looking down, he stepped off of Suman. "He's dead anyways. And I killed Suman, because he's my enemy."

Taking a seat, he pulled out a box of cigarettes and began to smoke. "Seeing as you aren't running yet, I think I'll you about it. Listen well, boy."

"I come from a clan, boy. The Noah Clan. Each member has a mission to kill a certain set of people, usually those who are in some control of power. Slowly, we are going to take over the city, and go on from there."

Before the boy could move, a switchblade slid from Tyki's sleeve into his hand, and he spun it twice before stopping it at Allen's neck. He pressed the blade against Allen's neck, allowing a few drops of blood to appear. "Don't try to run, boy."

Tyki waited, for the screaming, the pleading, the _anything _really, but he was stunned to get nothing. He peered at Allen to find determined eyes staring back at him. His heart sank and he sighed. "You ruined my fun." He pulled back his blade and tucked it away in his sleeve. "I won't cut your neck, the blood will spew out onto my gloves anyways."

Tyki stood up and brushed himself off. Before he had time to do anything else, he barely had enough time to catch Allen's punch to his face. He gripped Allen's fist.

"How could you kill an innocent man?!" Allen yelled.

Tyki smirked, and his cigarette sagged a bit. "How do you know he's innocent? He wanted to live so badly he sacrificed his friends." Tyki's face twisted into a leer. "They are dead in the river, behind the cemetery."

Allen growled, and responded with a roundhouse kick to Tyki's side. Tyki blocked it, then gripped Allen by his clothes, and threw him across the graveyard. Allen crashed into a large marble tomb. He groaned, holding his head.

Tyki stepped over Suman's body. "It's a shame, if I were on my white side I'd have loved to play another round of cards with you."

Scowling, Allen jumped up and ran straight to Tyki, throwing a vicious array of kicks and punches. Tyki managed to dodge all of them, then Allen spun around on the ground and attempted to take Tyki's legs from under him. Tyki was caught off balance, but gained composure quickly. As he looked up, Allen was coming in with a jump kick.

Tyki redirected the kick and Allen slammed into the ground, next to a gravestone. Without wasting any time, Tyki jumped forward and gripped Allen's neck to choke him. He pulled out his blade again, and shoved it into Allen's stomach. Allen gasped a cry of pain and gripped his stomach. Tyki smirked. "Now then." He started. He pushed the blade against Allen's neck. "Back to where we started."

Still determined, Allen connected a punch to Tyki's face. Snarling, Tyki lifted Allen by the neck and held him in the air. "Boy, I am going to hack up those arms."

And he did just so. Then he broke his hand as well.

Allen crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. Tyki leaned in again, and plunged the knife into Allen's chest, grinning madly. Allen coughed up blood, and his breathing became labored. "I am very considerate, boy. I think heroes like you should get some time to think before they die." A white rose fell from Allen's pocket, and Tyki picked it up, spinning it around to look at it from all angles. "A white flower? Geez." He tossed it into a pool of Allen's blood. He covered his face with his hand as a grin spread across his face.

After composing himself, once all the excitement in his blood calmed down from the murder, Tyki stood up and brushed himself off. He smiled at Allen. "That was fun, boy. I knew I liked you for a reason. I'm almost sad you're dying." He took one last glance at Allen, and noticed his deck of cards peeking out. Smirking, he pulled them out and dropped them, letting them scatter across Allen's body.

"Goodbye."

* * *

**Allen:**

Allen choked on his blood. His life was fading away. . .

Turning his head to the side, he recognized Mana's gravestone. How fitting, to die on his father's grave.

"Mana. . ." Allen breathed. His eyes faded out as warm blood continued to trickle out of his wounds.

* * *

**Fou:**

Fou walked across the graveyard angrily. Thick fog covered the ground, and she couldn't see two feet in front of her. It was dark out, night had settled. "Who the hell goes to a graveyard at night?" She muttered to herself. "Goddamn you, Bak's mother. . ." She threw the flowers on the ground in exasperation. If Bak wanted to give flowers to his dead mother, then he should do it _himself_ during the _day. _

"It smells like death." Fou muttered in annoyance. "What the hell is with this—"

Fou's shoe caught one something and she tripped, smashing face first into the ground. "—fog?!"

"OW!" Fou shouted. She rubbed her nose tenderly. "My nose! I hit my nose! The hell?!" She sat up angrily. "What the _hell_ just happened?!"

The fog dispersed around her, and as she was rubbing her nose, she picked up a card. "Hm? What the hell is this? A Western playing card? Why is this—"

The fog ebbed away, and beyond the card she was holding, she noticed the body. He layed in a pond of blood that stained his pure white hair. His hands were disfigured—one was obviously broken and the other was bloody red. His eyes were dull and his face was beat up, and beyond his head was a white rose stained with blood. The cards laid around him in scattered areas.

"Goddamn." Fou said as she grimaced, looking over the body.

"It's already too late."

* * *

**Oh my God. That killed me a little to write. I think I am somewhat satisfied with this chapter. I guess I really am out of tune with this story. The Allena part is so freaking mushy I drowned in the fluffiness.**

**Good news! As you all know, I update incredibly slowly. So, I'm thinking maybe if I set up a deadline, it'll force me to write, and I write better under pressure! :D Cuz if I think about writing a chapter it'll be a pain and it'll never get done. But if I force myself to sit down and write it usually gets done. Kinda hard to explain, but whatever. **

**I'm gonna try to update before every chapter is released in the manga. Sooo…..next chapter should be up before the next DGM chapter is released. So…I have till June or sooner. :D **

**I have been neglecting Kanda….**

**.**

**.**

**Review! Let's hit the 65 mark or higher! :DDD**


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